Stellar Stratton makes Duggar's blast hold up

SAN FRANCISCO -- Flashy defense. Startling offense. Shutdown pitching.
These were the elements the Giants employed Monday night to secure a 2-0 triumph over the D-backs. San Francisco combined right-hander Chris Stratton's career-best eight-inning effort with Steven Duggar's two-run homer to subdue the National League West leaders.
Now the Giants must essentially repeat this performance as much as possible during their final 29 games to realize their far-fetched dreams of rejoining the pursuit of a postseason spot.
For at least the next couple of days, San Francisco can gain ground in the most direct way possible: by defeating the first-place club. Occupying fourth place in the West, the Giants trimmed the gap separating them from Arizona to seven games. With their two best starters, Madison Bumgarner and Dereck Rodríguez, scheduled to pitch the series' remaining games, the Giants can legitimately entertain thoughts of further whittling that lead.
"In this game, you have a job to do. It doesn't matter where you're at," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "You still gotta believe. You still have to have faith that you can get on a run, a nice roll, and get back in this thing. ... Sure, it's an uphill climb. But you keep fighting. You don't know what can happen."

<p. duggar="" said=""> The Giants' biggest surprise on Monday was Stratton (9-7), who picked an excellent time to deliver the best performance of his Major League career. The right-hander yielded five hits in eight innings. Stratton set the tone immediately by escaping a first-and-second, nobody-out jam in the first inning. David Peralta grounded into a force play. The formidable Paul Goldschmidt -- 7-for-14 lifetime vs. Stratton -- lined out to second base. Daniel Descalso then grounded out to end the threat.</p.>
"I think that gave him a little tailwind," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. "When he wiggled out of that first inning after the first two batters getting on, I felt like it was a little push for him. He was making pitches. It was a fastball with some secondary stuff. And he was locating that fastball. That secondary stuff was very effective to both right- and left-handed hitters."
Afterward, Stratton didn't need much defensive help, given the scarcity of baserunners. Nevertheless, shortstop Brandon Crawford electrified the AT&T Park crowd by darting into the hole, anchoring himself on one knee and unleashing a powerful throw to first to retire Goldschmidt in the sixth inning.

"That was unbelievable," Stratton said. "He makes plays like that all the time, so it's nothing new."
The scant offense that the Giants mustered against D-backs starter Patrick Corbin (10-5) was enough for them to seal their seventh victory in their last nine games against Arizona.
Duggar, who made the difference in the Giants' 3-1 win over Texas on Sunday with a two-run triple, this time cleared the right-field wall in the second inning with Crawford aboard via a single.

Duggar is batting .379 (11-for-29) with four extra-base hits and eight RBIs in his last eight home games.
SOUND SMART
A few weeks ago, during one of his two demotions this year to Triple-A Sacramento, Stratton worked with ex-Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong on some mechanical issues during a between-start bullpen session in Nashville. Vogelsong, a 2011 All-Star with the Giants who led the team in wins during the 2012 postseason, told Stratton that they were a lot alike as pitchers.
The Giants have sent Vogelsong to various Minor League affiliates to help tutor pitchers. Stratton said that before Vogelsong tweaked his pitching delivery, "I think I was getting too rotational."
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Duggar's home run left his bat at an exit velocity of 107.4 mph, according to Statcast™. That's the hardest hit ball of Duggar's career, passing his two-run double against Oakland on July 13 (104.8).

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Bumgarner (5-5, 2.88 ERA), who will start Tuesday's 7:15 p.m. PT game against the D-backs, has allowed three runs or fewer in 12 of his 15 starts. The Giants are 4-3 behind Bumgarner at home, compared to 3-5 on the road. He'll oppose right-hander Clay Buchholz (7-2, 2.25), who's 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA in three career starts against the Giants.