Giants 3, Marlins 2
SAN FRANCISCO -- Shortstop Matt Duffy capped a two-run rally with a walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning Sunday, lifting the San Francisco Giants to a 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins.
Center fielder Gregor Blanco had three hits, including a pair of doubles, for the Giants, who salvaged a split in the four-game series with the dramatic win.
The Giants' rally came against Marlins closer Steve Cishek, against whom San Francisco had never scored an earned run in 15 previous meetings.
Called upon to protect a 2-1 lead, Cishek struck out right fielder Justin Maxwell to open the ninth. But catcher Andrew Susac singled and Blanco doubled off the fence in right, putting the potential tying and winning runs in scoring position.
The Marlins elected to walk pinch-hitter Buster Posey intentionally to load the bases, and Cishek got within one out of his fourth save by striking out pinch-hitter Angel Pagan.
Cishek then walked left fielder Nori Aoki on a full-count pitch to the game, and Duffy followed with a solid shot to left field that scored Blanco with the game-winner.
Left-hander Jeremy Affeldt (1-1), the third Giants pitcher, was credited with the win.
The uprising came after the Marlins had scored in the eighth to take a 2-1 lead. Pinch-runner Donovan Solano slid home safely after a Sergio Romo wild pitch with two outs in the eighth to break a 1-1 tie.
Right-hander Mat Latos pitched seven strong innings and second baseman Dee Gordon returned from a two-game absence to contribute a pair of doubles for the Marlins.
Pinch-hitter Justin Bour ignited the Marlins' go-ahead rally in the eighth with a one-out single against Romo, who had relieved Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong to start the inning.
The lumbering Bour had to be held at third base on Gordon's double into the right-field corner, a hit that would have been a triple had nobody been on base in front of the speedy Gordon.
Romo struck out third baseman Martin Prado for a second out, and worked right fielder Ichiro Suzuki to a 2-2 count before throwing one down and in when Giants catcher Andrew Susac was set up away.
The pitch went untouched to the backstop, and Solano, who had replaced Bour at third base, sped home, just beating Romo's tag.
Latos pitched seven innings, allowing seven hits and one run. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
Gordon and Morse had two hits apiece for Miami.
Vogelsong, who did not get a decision, had his second consecutive strong outing, limiting the Marlins to one run on four hits in seven innings. He struck out five and did not walk a batter while lowering his ERA to 5.67 after it had been 9.31 before his previous start.
The Marlins' only run off the veteran came in the fourth inning on a two-out, ground-rule double by Morse. Yelich had stolen second base one pitch earlier, which allowed him to be awarded home plate on Morse's shot to right-center.
The Giants tied the game against Latos in the bottom of the sixth on first baseman Brandon Belt's two-out RBI single. The hit scored Aoki, who had gotten into scoring position with a stolen base after leading off the inning with a single.
Blanco collected three hits and Aoki and Belt had two apiece for the Giants, who out-hit the Marlins 10-7.
NOTES: Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton did not start the series finale to give him a rest. Stanton not only had played every inning this season, but had not had a healthy non-start in almost a year (May 18, 2014, also in San Francisco). ... Marlins manager Mike Redmond announced before the game that LF Christian Yelich is his new No. 5 hitter. Yelich batted fifth for the first time in his career Sunday. ... Giants C Buster Posey, SS Brandon Crawford and CF Angel Pagan all did not start Sunday's day game following a night game after having played every inning of the first three games of the series. Only Pagan, who suffered a broken fingernail while stealing a base last Monday and had gone 3-for-17 since, was considered even slightly injured.