Cutch notches another walk-off for Giants

SAN FRANCISCO -- Andrew McCutchen got that feeling again shortly before the Giants edged the D-backs, 5-4. That winning feeling.
He watched the Giants' half of the ninth inning against Arizona unfold Tuesday night, with the score tied, teammates reaching base and his spot in the batting order coming closer and closer. McCutchen's mind flashed on last Saturday, when San Francisco's 14th-inning rally against the Dodgers culminated in his three-run walk-off homer.
"I was in the dugout, and there was one walk, another," McCutchen said, "and I was just sitting there, like, 'This is about to happen again.'"
It did -- maybe not quite as dramatically for McCutchen and the Giants, but still successfully. He ended the Giants' ninth-inning uprising with another game-winning hit, lining a bases-loaded single to lift the Giants over the D-backs.

Paul Goldschmidt's two-out homer off Giants closer Hunter Strickland forged a 4-4 tie in the top of the ninth inning. But that didn't stop the Giants, whose rally began with Kelby Tomlinson's leadoff walk issued by Jorge De La Rosa.
"I was fortunate that he couldn't find the zone as well as he'd like," said Tomlinson, who advanced to second base on Gorkys Hernández's sacrifice bunt. That prompted an intentional walk to Austin Jackson and an unintentional walk to Brandon Belt.
McCutchen then smacked the first pitch he saw into left field, personally delivering a walk-off win to San Francisco for the second time in four days.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy has quickly become one of McCutchen's biggest fans.
"You couldn't ask for a better guy to have up there," Bochy said.

The Giants' offense wasn't of the textbook variety, unless that book happens to be badly frayed. They generated their runs on a bases-loaded walk to McCutchen, a pair of sacrifice flies, a throwing error on a double-steal that accompanied a strikeout and, of course, the walk-filled ninth.

McCutchen, for one, would love to help the Giants sustain some genuine, consistent offense.
"We've been coming alive later in the game. Hopefully we can get that going from the first inning on," McCutchen said. "I want to get that started from the first at-bat."
That could be essential for the Giants in the near future as they attempt to survive with their top three starting pitchers on the disabled list -- Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija. Cueto became the reluctant trio's latest member when he went on the DL on Tuesday with a sprained left ankle.
Asked about the Giants' need to support the members of the existing rotation with increased offense, McCutchen said, "That's first and foremost. That's the reason we have the team that we have. We have a team that can score. We just have to go out there and produce. We have the bats to do it."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Gearrin gears up: Giants right-hander Cory Gearrin, who remained unscored upon, blunted the momentum the D-backs generated in the seventh inning when they scored on back-to-back doubles by Jarrod Dyson and Ketel Marte. Gearrin relieved Josh Osich and stopped the D-backs cold, preserving the 3-3 tie while striking out two of the four hitters he faced.
Gorkys' grab: After tying the score in the ninth inning on Goldschmidt's home run, the D-backs made a bid to sustain their momentum as A.J. Pollock whistled a vicious line drive to left field. It initially appeared destined to be an extra-base hit, but substitute left fielder Hernandez dashed toward the foul line and dove to snare the ball while ending the inning.

MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
The Giants appeared to tack on a fourth run in the sixth inning when McCutchen slid into home plate and scored from second on Brandon Crawford's single to left. D-backs interim manager Jerry Narron appealed, however, and upon review the call was overturned. McCutchen's foot was elevated when catcher Alex Avila made the tag.
"I saw it [on video]," McCutchen said, "They replayed it like 10 times on the board. I tried really hard to keep my foot down, but I think it popped up that last little bit right when I got to the plate and that's when he applied the tag."

WHAT'S NEXT
Having split their first three series, the Giants will try to win one Wednesday when they confront the D-backs in the series finale. Left-hander Andrew Suárez, making his Major League debut, will oppose Arizona southpaw Robbie Ray.
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