Skip to main content

Pence hits 2 HRs, Giants tie Diamondbacks 7-7 in 10 innings

  • Author:
  • Publish date:

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) Hunter Pence hit two prodigious home runs, giving him five long balls this spring, and a split squad of San Francisco Giants tied the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-7 in 10 innings Tuesday night.

Pence connected on a pair of solo shots and drove in three runs. He finished with three hits. Denard Span had a two-run homer for the Giants, who scored four times in the first inning against Rubby De La Rosa.

Two came on a triple by Kelly Tomlinson, who scored on the play when an errant throw from the cutoff man went past third base.

Pence's most impressive shot was a line drive to the berm in left-center leading off the eighth. The veteran outfielder could have called it a night after three at-bats but chose to take a fourth and made it count.

''He wanted to stay out there for that last at-bat and I'm sure he's glad he did, with the way he hit that last one,'' Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

De La Rosa, the No. 4 starter in Arizona's rotation, gave up five earned runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings. He struck out nine and walked one.

''I thought Rubby got better and better as the game went on,'' Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said. ''His slider is looking pretty good. Better than I think we ever saw last year.''

De La Rosa didn't seem too bothered by his performance.

''Everything was good. Breaking ball's good, fastball is good. Second and third inning, maybe I was overthrowing a little bit, I guess,'' he said. ''Trying to be too perfect.''

Paul Goldschmidt, Chris Owings and Jake Lamb had two hits apiece for the Diamondbacks. Goldschmidt has a seven-game hitting streak and Jean Segura, who had a run-scoring single, has hit safely in 11 of 12 games.

Peter O'Brien tied the score with a three-run homer in the eighth, his fourth of the spring. O'Brien's drive was measured at 461 feet, well up the left-field berm.

''That was fast and far,'' Hale said. ''There was some impressive, loud hitting tonight, with the two Pence hit, that one - there was some loud contact.''

Span also doubled and scored twice for San Francisco.

---

PENCE'S OUTFIELD ADVENTURES

Pence, the right fielder, made two hustling attempts at sinking fly balls only to miss them both. In the third inning, he slid to try to catch a ball hit in front of him by Goldschmidt, but it dropped in front of his glove. Two batters later, Welington Castillo's drive into the corner near the foul pole hit off Pence's glove for a double.

BULLPEN TRIO

Three pitchers who could be part of the Diamondbacks' bullpen on opening day threw in a minor league game. Randall Delgado allowed a run and three hits with four strikeouts in three innings, Andrew Chafin gave up an earned run in two innings with two strikeouts, and Evan Marshall struck out five in two scoreless innings.

STARTING TIME

Giants: LHP Ty Blach made his fifth spring training appearance and second start. He gave up four runs and nine hits in four innings.

Diamondbacks: De La Rosa said he felt good and just ''paid the price'' for missing on a few pitches.

''He was trying some stuff that he's been working on, and it just wasn't clicking for him,'' Hale said. ''So he got back to throwing strikes and they hit him pretty well.''

FOR BRUSSELS

A moment of silence was observed before the game for the victims of Tuesday's early-morning terrorist attack in Brussels, Belgium. The Belgian flag appeared on the video board above left field.

UP NEXT

Giants: Matt Cain hopes his second spring start goes better than his first, when he gave up three runs on seven hits and three walks in 2 2-3 innings against San Diego last Friday. Cain faces Robbie Ray and the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Diamondbacks: Ray, trying to lock up the fifth spot in Arizona's rotation, makes his fourth spring training start. He has a 1.86 ERA over 9 2-3 innings.