SAN FRANCISCO -- For the third time in four starts, the bullpen let Justin Verlander down. This time, the Giants at least found a way to come away with the win, and somehow, the rare extra-innings blowout.
Watch NBC Bay Area News free wherever you are
WATCH HERERyan Walker couldn't close out what would have been Verlander's first win as a Giant -- and 263rd in the big leagues -- but the Giants got the game to the 11th and then broke through with nine runs (seriously) in the 11th inning. With a 14-5 win, they evened this series against the highest-scoring team in the big leagues.The Giants led by four early and Verlander walked off with a two-run lead. Walker, who has gotten off to an unexpectedly rough start, gave it back in the ninth.
Walker's first blown save as a closer came at the end of the last road trip and cost Verlander a win. He was wobbly at the start of the ensuing homestand, but by the end of it, the Giants felt their closer was back to form.
The ninth started with a walk of speedy Pete Crow-Armstrong. After a strikeout, Walker issued a free pass to pinch-hitter Carson Kelly and then gave up an RBI single to longtime Giants nemesis Justin Turner. That put runners on the corners with one out, but Walker responded with a strikeout of leadoff hitter Ian Happ.
With Kyle Tucker coming up, Bob Melvin turned to lefty Erik Miller, who was looking for his first career save but was a better matchup against the Cubs star. Walker wasn't happy as he walked off the mound, and the pain in the dugout and clubhouse got worse when Tucker lined Miller's first pitch up the middle to tie the game.
Golden State Warriors
Miller got it to the 11th and Heliot Ramos' double was followed by a Patrick Bailey RBI single to get the Giants back ahead. Eight consecutive Giants reached in the 11th before the Cubs recorded an out.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news with the Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
SIGN UP
The Giants set a Wrigley Field record for most runs in an extra inning. The previous mark was seven, set by the New York Giants in 1921.
Here are the takeaways from a win that pushes the Giants' record to 23-14:
The Wait Continues
Verlander was coming off three consecutive quality starts, and while he didn't reach that standard Tuesday, he wasn't far from it. Over five innings, Verlander gave up three earned on five hits and two walks. He struck out three, getting Ian Happ on a slider, Seiya Suzuki on a 96 mph fastball and Michael Busch on a slider.
Verlander had an uneven start to the season, but he has lived up to expectations over the last few weeks. In his last four starts, he has thrown 23 1/3 innings and allowed just six earned runs, but he has watched the bullpen blow the lead in each of his last three starts. In the other one, the lineup got shut out.
Verlander is in his 20th big league season, and only once previously has he gone winless through his first seven starts. This is the first time he has gone eight starts to begin a year without picking up a win.
Wind, Meet Windy
Jung Hoo Lee certainly seems to like the big stage. Lee hit three homers when the Giants visited Yankee Stadium last month, and on Tuesday, he added Wrigley Field to his book.
With a runner on in the third, veteran Colin Rea grooved a 94 mph fastball to Lee, who hit a 105 mph laser a half-dozen rows up in right. The blast was his first since his two-homer game at Yankee Stadium on April 13.
Lee hit two homers and slugged .331 in 37 games as a rookie. Wednesday's series finale will be his 37th as a sophomore, and he's currently at four homers and a .507 slugging percentage, which ranks 13th in the National League.
Elite In The Middle
On the last road trip, the Giants paid for extending Verlander. Melvin was much more careful on Tuesday, turning to one of the league's best bullpens after just 82 pitches from his starter, and early on it looked like the right move.
Randy Rodriguez gave up a hit and walked one in the sixth, but also struck out a pair. With the tying run on first, he whiffed Miguel Amaya on three pitches. Rodriguez lowered his ERA to 1.15.
Camilo Doval's ERA is down to 1.62 after a 1-2-3 seventh inning. He needed just seven pitches to get through his frame, continuing what has been a remarkable stretch for the former closer. Over his last 12 appearances, Doval has allowed just one hit over 11 1/3 innings.
Those two got the ball to Tyler Rogers, who had a clean eighth. It all went off the rails a few minutes later, though.
