Wade's early homer a winning one against D-backs

SAN FRANCISCO -- It's no easy feat to win a baseball game with just a pair of knocks to show for a hard-fought Thursday afternoon at the plate. The Giants managed to emerge victorious from such circumstances for the first time since July 7, 2019.

Backed by a lockdown effort from the bullpen, San Francisco made its scant offense count, getting a decisive home run from LaMonte Wade Jr. in the fourth inning en route to a 1-0 win over the D-backs at Oracle Park.

San Francisco, which took three of four from Arizona after dropping the series opener, has won seven of its last nine games since snapping a season-high six-game losing streak on July 25.

The second-place Giants now sit four games ahead of the third-place D-backs in the National League West race and hold the top NL Wild Card spot. San Francisco now owns a 6-5 advantage in the season series, putting the Giants in a good position to take the head-to-head tiebreaker with two meetings remaining against the D-backs in September.

"I think learning how to win close games is a skill that you kind of hone throughout the season," said rookie right-hander Tristan Beck, who followed opener Scott Alexander with four scoreless innings.

"We'll take the wins as they come, and down the stretch, I don't think we'll be surprised by anything, the way these games have been going."

Pitching reigned supreme in the finale, but Wade was the difference maker with his leadoff shot in the fourth that cleared the arcade seats in right field. It was the 11th home run of the season for Wade, who was named the Giants' Heart and Hustle Award winner prior to the finale.

"It means a lot," Wade said. "I'm definitely grateful and humbled by that honor to be able to receive that award, and I think it says a lot about this team, these teammates that I've got, too."

Wade has been a key -- if not underrated -- piece for San Francisco this season. Entering Thursday, he led Giants position players with a 2.3 bWAR and was tied for third with a 1.9 fWAR.

But Wade was not immune to the offensive slump that swept through the Giants' lineup last month. He slashed .180/.288/.200 in July and saw his on-base percentage fall below .400 for the first time since Opening Day -- though his .396 mark ranks seventh in the Majors.

When Wade launched his second game-winning homer in his past three games, he looked like, as manager Gabe Kapler put it, "the best version of LaMonte."

"His swing is looking violent again," Kapler said. "It's kind of a measure of how he's feeling. Oftentimes he goes up to the plate, he's able to conduct a really good at-bat, make good swing decisions. But the swing doesn't look quite as violent when he's not feeling his best and healthiest."

Wade's blast was the first hit off D-backs rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who tossed three perfect frames to open the game and held the Giants to one run on just two hits and one walk over seven innings.

Pfaadt may have been stingy, but San Francisco's relief corps nailed down the team's 10th shutout win of 2023. The Giants also improved to 15-5 in bullpen games, with Beck's performance leading the way.

With San Francisco using only two traditional starters -- Logan Webb and Alex Cobb -- Beck has excelled in his hybrid role, having permitted just one run over 15 1/3 innings in his past six outings. His current run of success, along with his overall body of work, makes him a candidate to join the Giants' depleted rotation.

But the way Kapler sees it, why mess with a good thing?

"I think there is a case," Kapler said. "But is there a case to let a guy kick [butt] and keep kicking [butt] in the role that they're in because it's good for them?"

San Francisco's bullpen has been a key contributor as the team eyes a return to the playoffs, but the Giants' bats know that they need to step up.

"It's good right now that the pitchers are keeping us in the game, but we don't feel good as an offense to keep relying on those guys like that," Wade said. "We've got to take it amongst ourselves and pick it up."