Giants outlast Marlins in 16-inning marathon

MIAMI -- Pablo Sandoval delivered a two-run single in the 16th inning and Ty Blach got the win with 6 2/3 scoreless innings of relief as the Giants salvaged the final game of a four-game series with a 6-3 win over the Marlins on Thursday afternoon.
"Epic game, what a great job Dereck [Rodriguez] did," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "Great job of pitching, good stuff today. The pitching was there all day. This would have been a tough one to lose."
Sandoval said that although he was very tired, he was still looking to make something happen.
"I tried to calm myself down, don't try to do too much," Sandoval said. "So I was just look for something to elevate the ball. He threw me a fastball right there, and I got a good swing."
Andrew McCutchen continues to swing a hot bat in the month of June, and Miami product Dereck Rodríguez held the Marlins to two runs in his return home. McCutchen went 3-for-7 with a homer and scored the go-ahead run in a three-run 16th.
Blach scattered seven hits and got help from Sam Dyson, who recorded the final out with the tying run at the plate.

Blach, who began the 2018 season in the starting rotation, said he knew that he was one of the last arms left in the 'pen and that he just tried to work as many innings as possible.
"Just go out there and attack the strike zone and go as long as I could," said Blach, who improved to 4-5 for the season. "Just trying to get zeros. That's the goal every time out there. I was able to execute a lot of pitches, the changeup was good and the defense made some really great plays.
"You kind of know as the long guy that it's your game. So you just go out there and you try to compete and give the team a chance. I've been stretched out obviously, being a starter all year, so I felt good. It's been a while since I pitched, so I'm on my normal starter rest since the last time I pitched. So I felt good."

Like Miami native Andrew Suárez the night before, in a 4-3 walk-off loss, Rodriguez got a no-decision for his efforts. He went 6 2/3 innings, scattering seven hits and striking out four without issuing a walk.
"I thought I threw the ball well," Rodriguez said. "I felt good physically and mentally. Two quality starts in one game. We'll take it."
Rodriguez is the son of Marlins 2003 World Series hero Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, who was in attendance for the game. During that season, the Giants' starter, at age 11, spent many an hour playing catch with his dad prior to Marlins games at the club's initial home, Pro Player Stadium.
After graduating high school in Miami, the Twins drafted Rodriguez with a sixth-round pick in 2011 as an outfielder. He switched positions to pitcher in '13.

Rodriguez gave up a fifth-inning solo home run to JT Riddle, who belted an 88.6-mph four-seam fastball over the center-field wall. The 420-foot blast exited at a velocity of 102.1 mph with a 26-degree launch angle, according to Statcast™.
Rodriguez's 94-pitch outing ended in the seventh after a two-out RBI single by Marlins catcher Bryan Holaday.
For the second consecutive game, McCutchen blasted a first-inning two-run homer. Five of McCutchen's eight home runs this season have been hit in June.

McCutchen came into the game hitting .319 over his career during the month of June, his highest for any month.
Mac Williamson followed an inning later with his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to left field to give hte Giants a 3-0 lead. It was the first home run since April 24 against Washington for Williamson, who hit .446 with eight homers and 23 RBI in 16 games with Triple-A Sacramento before being recalled April 20.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Marlins tied the game on an unearned run in the ninth and sent it into seven extra innings. Starlin Castro hit a leadoff pop fly to shallow right that both Joe Panik and McCutchen reached simultaneously. Panik got a glove on it, but he couldn't hold it. Castro reached second on the error. He later scored the tying run on Lewis Brinson's sacrifice fly.
"It was one of those 'tweeners' in no-man's land," Bochy said. "Wish it was foul. We had it checked and it was barely fair."

LONGORIA LEAVES WITH INJURY
Third baseman Evan Longoria exited the game after being hit by a pitch in the fourth inning. X-rays revealed Longoria fractured the fifth metacarpal in his left hand. No timetable has been set for his return.
SOUND SMART
In addition to producing the game-winning hit, his third of the season, Sandoval drew three walks, tying his career high. He has now walked three times in a game seven times, and the last one was on April 26, 2015, with Boston in Baltimore.
HE SAID IT
"Great win to head home on after a tough series. I'm looking forward to getting out of Miami, trust me." -- Bochy, on leaving Miami with just one win in four games
UP NEXT
The Giants open a three-game series in Los Angeles on the final leg of a three-city, 10-city road trip. They'll go up against a familiar face in right-hander Ross Stripling. The Giants are hitting .222 against him in 2018. Andrew McCutchen, though, is 4-for-6 with a homer, a double and two RBIs in his career against Stripling. San Francisco sends left-hander Derek Holland to the mound for the 7:10 p.m. PT start.