SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants followed a familiar formula Saturday against the Marlins, one that pulled out a thrilling win a night earlier.
They got a strong performance from their starting pitcher, struggled against the opponent’s but scratched back late.
Unlike in Friday night’s theatric win, however, the Giants’ late magic ran out a run too early.
Michael Conforto’s solo shot in the eighth inning was as close as they would get in a 4-3 loss to the National League’s worst team. It sent them back below .500 (68-69), kept them 6½ games back of the Braves, and wasted a spot start from Mason Black that was as much as they could ask for.
Filling in for Robbie Ray and Black made his first big-league start since May and turned in the best performance of his young career but still departed in a 2-1 hole.
The 24-year-old right-hander fanned a career-high six batters without issuing a walk, evenly mixing his four-seamer, sinker and sweeper over 74 pitches (58 strikes).
The Marlins’ only damage against him came on a two-run homer to right from Griffin Conine — the first of his career — after Tyler Fitzgerald muffed a slow hopper that allowed Jonah Bride to reach base (and counted as one of Miami’s four hits off Black) with one out in the second.
After Conine’s home run, Black retired nine of the final 11 hitters he faced, erasing one of the two batters to reach base on a strike-’em-out, throw-’em-out double play to end the third. But immediately upon taking over to start the sixth inning, Taylor Rogers allowed the Marlins to extend the lead to 3-2.
Making his first appearance in six days, Rogers served up a solo shot to the first batter he faced, leadoff man Connor Norby, who worked a full count and unloaded on a sweeper left at the letters. He faced four batters and recorded only one out in his first appearance since reportedly being placed on waivers.
Fitzgerald helped Spencer Bivens turn two to get out of the two-on, one-out jam handed off by Rogers but allowed Miami to push across an important insurance run in the seventh. Bivens issued four balls to the first batter of the inning, Otto Lopez, who swiped second with the help of a controversial safe call and scored on a pair of productive outs.
Lopez, a former Giant, was ruled safe at second base despite Patrick Bailey’s throw appearing to arrive in time.
Once again, the Giants were left to regret their missed opportunities offensively. As a team, they went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven men on base. In three separate innings, they had multiple runners on base with less than two outs and managed two total runs out of the opportunities.
The Marlins gifted them runners at the corners and one out in the first inning when their starter, Edward Cabrera, issued a pair of walks and their catcher, Ali Sánchez, threw the ball into center field when Mark Canha took off for second. But Heliot Ramos and Michael Conforto each popped up to end the inning.
The Giants finally got to Cabrera in the fifth but got only one run despite the top of their lineup coming up with runners on second and third and one out after their Nos. 8 and 9 hitters, Jerar Encarnacion and Brett Wisely, came through with consecutive hits. When they chased him in the sixth, after Fitzgerald singled home Matt Chapman, Encarnacion and Patrick Bailey went down in order with runners on first and second against Xzavion Curry, whose ERA stands at 5.68.
If there was a bright side, it was the work of Erik Miller and Camilo Doval, who retired the Marlins in order in the eighth and the ninth — with five strikeouts — to ensure the Giants would at least bring the tying run to the plate three times in the bottom of the ninth.
But they went down in order against Calvin Faucher.
Notable
Black was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to make his fourth start of the season — his first since May — in the rotation spot vacated by LHP Robbie Ray (hamstring). While manager Bob Melvin said he hoped the 24-year-old right-hander, who had a 2.91 ERA in his past four starts for Sacramento, would take advantage of the opportunity, Ray had already progressed to playing catch and could miss only the minimum 15 days.
In a corresponding move, RHP Austin Warren was optioned to Sacramento. … Catcher Andrew Knapp, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Sacramento.
Up next
RHP Logan Webb (11-8, 3.24) gets the ball in the series finale, while the Marlins have not named a starter yet. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m.
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