Giants 2, A's 1
SAN FRANCISCO -- Left-hander Madison Bumgarner limited the Oakland Athletics to one run in seven innings and helped his cause with his third home run of the season, delivering the San Francisco Giants a 2-1 victory on Saturday afternoon.
In beating their cross-bay rivals for the second consecutive day and 15th time in their last 18 meetings in San Francisco, the Giants posted a fourth straight win and seventh in eight games since the All-Star break.
Third baseman Matt Duffy singled in second baseman Joe Panik with the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning and the Giants' pitchers took it from there, with right-handers Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla throwing a shutout inning each in relief of Bumgarner (11-5).
Casilla overcame a walk and a single by reserve outfielder Billy Burns in the ninth to post his 25th save.
The win was the Giants' fifth in a row at home and improved their interleague mark to 8-3.
Bumgarner staked himself to a 1-0 lead in the third, belting a pitch from A's rookie right-hander Chris Bassitt into the bleachers in left field. It was Bumgarner's ninth career home run and the first given up to a pitcher by Oakland since 1972.
The reigning World Series Most Valuable Player never solved A's second baseman Ben Zobrist, surrendering a single, double and triple in three at-bats. But all came with two outs, and Bumgarner retired a World Series rival, Oakland first baseman Billy Butler, on a fly ball and two popups to strand Zobrist each time.
The lone A's run came in the fourth on a double by catcher Josh Phegley that scored right fielder Jake Smolinski, who opened the inning with a single.
In winning his third straight start, Bumgarner gave up five runs and two walks in seven innings. He struck out seven.
Bassitt (0-3) took the hard-luck loss, allowing two runs and five hits in six innings. Promoted earlier in the day to help fill a hole in the A's starting rotation created by the trade of left-hander Scott Kazmir on Thursday, Bassitt struck out four and did not walk a batter.
The 26-year-old has not allowed more than two runs in any of his four major league starts this season. He lost two 2-1 decisions to account for his previous two defeats.
Panik had a double and a single for the Giants, who totaled six hits against three A’s pitchers.
Three of Oakland's six hits went for extra bases.
The loss was the third in a row for the A's, who fell to 5-4 in interleague play and 7-19 when opposed by a left-handed starting pitcher.
NOTES: In order to recall RHP Chris Bassitt for Saturday's start, the A' demoted RHP Angel Castro to Triple-A Nashville. Castro was with the parent club for only day and pitched one inning (two hits, no runs, one strikeout) in Friday' loss to the Giants. ... A's CF Billy Burns (testicular contusion) told team trainers he could play Saturday, but Oakland manager Bob Melvin held him out of the starting lineup. Burns was injured when hit by his own foul ball in the third inning Friday. ... SS Marcus Semien replaced Burns atop the A' lineup. It was Simien's second time batting leadoff this season. ... A's LHP Sean Doolittle (strained left shoulder) threw 15 pitches from 105 feet in the outfield before Saturday's game and stamped himself ready to be promoted to a bullpen session next week. ... Giants RHP Tim Lincecum (bruised right forearm and degenerative hips) appears to be on the same recovery path as Doolittle. He also is tentatively scheduled for a bullpen session next week after throwing on flat ground Saturday. ... The starting time of the Giants' game on Sunday, Aug. 23, at Pittsburgh has been changed from 1:35 p.m. (ET) to 8:08 p.m. (ET) in order for it to be televised nationally by ESPN.