Mets at Giants
The surging San Francisco Giants look to pull even at .500 for the first time since Opening Day when they continue their four-game series against the visiting New York Mets on Friday. The Giants extended their winning streak to six games after Donovan Solano delivered a walk-off single in Thursday’s 16-inning, 3-2 victory.
Alex Dickerson recorded three hits and Madison Bumgarner allowed one run over nine innings for the Giants, who have won 13 of their last 15 and pulled within 2 1/2 games of the second wild card in the National League. San Francisco won despite a rough performance by Buster Posey, who went 1-for-7 and struck out a career-high four times. The Giants fell behind in the top of the 16th thanks to Mets rookie Pete Alonso’s 32nd home run before improving to 7-2 in extra innings this season. Alonso has homered in back-to-back contests for New York, which saw its four-game winning streak come to an end.
TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), NBCS Bay Area (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Jacob deGrom (5-7, 3.21 ERA) vs. Giants RH Tyler Beede (3-3, 5.44)
DeGrom allowed one run and six hits with six strikeouts over five innings in Sunday’s 6-2 victory over Miami. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner has posted a 2.57 ERA with a 77-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his last 10 starts. Joe Panik is 3-for-17 against deGrom, who is 4-2 with a 2.91 ERA in seven career starts versus San Francisco – including a 2-1 record and 3.86 ERA mark in three outings at Oracle Park.
Beede won his second straight start with an impressive performance against Milwaukee on Sunday, allowing three runs while registering seven strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings. “He’s taken huge strides,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. “His confidence is growing. He’s attacking the strike zone. He had the good breaking ball and a good change going, too. He had a good mix going.” The 26-year-old rookie owns a 3.41 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 29 innings over his last five starts.
WALK-OFFS
1. Giants 3B Pablo Sandoval is batting .163 over his last 16 games after going 1-for-7 in Thursday’s contest.
2. Mets MGR Mickey Callaway said Walker Lockett will start Saturday in place of fellow RHP Zack Wheeler, who was placed on the injured list with shoulder fatigue last week.
3. San Francisco recalled Williams Jerez from Triple-A Sacramento and optioned fellow LHP Andrew Suarez to the River Cats.