Giants 9, Rangers 7, 11 innings
ARLINGTON, Texas -- San Francisco right fielder Hunter Pence blasted a solo homer to left in the 11th inning to lift the Giants to a 9-7 come-from-behind win over Texas.
The Giants trailed by three in the eighth inning against new Texas starter Cole Hamels but rallied against the Rangers bullpen and set the stage for Pence.
Pence led off the 11th with his shot off Sam Dyson, who was acquired from the Marlins at the trade deadline. Two batters later first baseman Brandon Belt added some insurance with his second homer of the night. The runs made a winner out of Hunter Strickland, the seventh San Francisco pitcher of the night. Santiago Casilla picked up his 27th save.
The Rangers were poised to give Hamels a victory until the Giants scored three times in the eighth to tie the game at 7. After Hamels allowed a two-out double to second baseman Joe Panik, he was pulled for Tanner Scheppers.
Scheppers allowed three-straight hits, with Pence capping the rally with game-tying single to right.
Texas gave Hamels plenty of run support. After the Giants scored three times off Hamels in the third to take a 3-2 lead, the Rangers tied the game on a single from catcher Bobby Wilson in the fourth.
Texas then scored twice in the sixth to take a 5-3 lead.
San Francisco catcher Buster Posey cut the lead to 5-4 with a homer off Hamels in the seventh but the Rangers countered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, with first baseman Mitch Moreland collecting his third RBI of the night on a sacrifice fly and a second run scoring on an error.
Hamels went 7 2/3 innings, giving up eight hits and five runs in his 97-pitch effort. He also struck out six.
San Francisco starter Chris Heston surrendered three runs on seven hits in his 4 2/3 innings.
The matchup of the only two starters with no-hitters this season quickly became an offensive show.
Texas scored twice off Heston in the first, on a double from first baseman Mitch Moreland.
The Giants were hitless against Hamels until the third, when Belt opened the frame with a solo homer to center; that ended Hamels hitless-inning streak at 35.
The Giants put together three more hits in the inning and scored twice, with third baseman Matt Duffy's RBI single to center putting San Francisco up 3-2.
That lead lasted until the fourth, when Wilson tied the game with an RBI single to left.
NOTES: The Rangers put C Robinson Chirinos on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained left shoulder. Chirinos injured the shoulder swinging in the eighth inning of Thursday's game against the New York Yankees. ... Texas optioned RHP Keone Kela to Double-A Frisco. The rookie leads the American League with 49 appearances, and sending him down gives the Rangers a chance to get him some rest. ... The moves cleared space to add LHP Cole Hamels and RHP Sam Dyson to the roster. ... San Francisco RHP Tim Lincecum, who has been on the disabled list because of a right forearm contusion, played catch from 100 feet Saturday. Lincecum also has had two cortisone shots in his hips. ... Saturday's starting pitching matchup of Texas LHP Cole Hamels and San Francisco RHP Chris Heston marked the first time since 2010 that two pitchers matched up after both had pitched no-hitters earlier in the season.