Hundley ends marathon:
He knocks in winning run in 12th a day after 11-inning loss; Nunez trade could cloud Giants’ options for third base
Giants edge Padres in 12innings a day after losing in 11.
No small lineup wrinkle goes unnoticed in the days leading up to the July 31 trade deadline.
Who’s sitting out today? Who’s being showcased? What’s the hidden significance?
And, in the Giants’ 5-4, 12-inning victory over the San Diego Padres on Saturday afternoon: why was Eduardo Nuñez suddenly playing shortstop?
Well, sometimes the answer is as simple as this: the Giants played an 11-inning game that went nearly five hours Friday night, and shortstop Brandon Crawford’s legs needed a respite.
They had to play an inning longer to bounce back with a victory on Saturday. Kelby Tomlinson reached on a failed sacrifice/fielder’s choice but advanced on a wild pitch and scored the game winner on catcher Nick Hundley’s single to the base of the left field wall.
Nobody enjoys a walk-off, extra-inning victory more than the guy who has spent all afternoon in the squat.
“That’s what Buster (Posey) told me,” Hundley said, grinning. “He said, ‘You look like the happiest guy on the field.’ I said, ‘Yeah, but not as happy as you were when you hit that walk-off home run in the 17th (in May).’ ”
It couldn’t hurt for opposing scouts to take a look at Nuñez playing another infield spot. It also couldn’t hurt Nuñez’s value that he doubled and singled twice in his first three at-bats Saturday, including a two-run knock that tied the score in the fourth inning.
He’s been the Giants’ best hitter outside of Posey. He’ll be a free agent after the season. He is their easiest asset to move to a contender, even if the only gain is a midlevel prospect and a couple million in salary relief.
While his hamstrings aren’t 100 percent, playing an 11-inning night game followed by a 12-inning day game was a good test of his durability.
And if Nuñez is traded to the Red Sox or Indians or anywhere else, the Giants will have to figure out whom it benefits them most to see at third base for the remainder of the season.
They have Conor Gillaspie and Tomlinson already on the roster, although they are viewed as extra men whose flat swings work off the bench. They shipped Jaegyun Hwang back to Triple A Sacramento on Saturday, and the former KBO star will have to decide whether he wants to report. And of course, they could have a familiar option if Pablo Sandoval can prove his bat, glove and dedication in a minor league trial that begins with a game at DH for Class A San Jose on Saturday night.
For now, it would be awkward for Giants manager Bruce Bochy to handicap the position.
“Right now Nuñez is my third baseman, so I can’t go into what-ifs,” Bochy said. “He’s on this team and I hope he’s on this team. I can’t speculate on what we’ll do.”
The answer would be easy if Christian Arroyo weren’t out until September at the earliest because of a fractured hand. He would get big league at-bats and try to display his major league readiness to be a starting player next season. The Giants could give a nod to development and give Ryder Jones another look, although the consensus is that he wasn’t ready when he went 1 for 21 in seven games before getting hit on the wrist by a pitch.
Jones and Sandoval will split time between third base and DH while possibly getting at bats at first base for Sacramento beginning on Tuesday. Hwang, if he reports, will have to be inserted into that mix as well.
Nuñez greeted Sandoval and said he wasn’t bothered by the fact that the Giants added another third baseman, saying, “God gave me the ability to play multiple positions, so it doesn’t matter.”
In the meantime, the games do not stop. Matt Moore threw five shutout innings out of six, but a four-run fourth marred what otherwise was a better start. Wil Myers led off the fourth with a home run. Luis Perdomo followed three singles with a tworun triple.
Nuñez helped them rally to tie, although the Giants’ rally in the fourth was stopped cold when Gorkys Hernandez got thrown out trying to go from first to third on the single.
Albert Suarez, who made 12 starts last season and is finally healthy after shoulder and calf issues forced him to miss four months, returned to the roster (in place of left-hander Steven Okert, who was optioned to Triple-A) and contributed a pair of scoreless innings.
Sam Dyson appeared for the fourth time in five days and stranded two runners in the ninth when he got Hector Sanchez, as thorny an ex-Giant as there’s ever been, to ground out.
Nuñez drew a leadoff walk in the ninth but Joe Panik popped up a sacrifice attempt and Posey struck out in a pinch-hitting appearance to send the game to extra innings.
Crawford struck out with the winning run at third base in the 10th, and then stayed in the game with Nuñez moving to third base in the 11th. The very first Padres batter hit a hot smash that Nuñez snagged to take away a base hit.
The Giants missed another sacrifice attempt in the 12th, when Brandon Belt singled and Tomlinson’s bunt led to a forceout at second base. But Tomlinson ended up advancing on a wild pitch, and then Hundley singled to the wall in left field to end it.