Giants defeat Diamondbacks behind Panik, Samardzija
PHOENIX -- Joe Panik hit a three-run homer on a 3-0 pitch and right-hander Jeff Samardzija won his fifth game in the San Francisco Giants' 3-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.
Panik turned on 92 mph fastball from right-hander Shelby Miller (1-4) and drove it deep into the right field seats for a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning.
Angel Pagan and Denard Span singled to open the sixth before Panik's homer -- his second in as many nights. Panik had seen eight 3-0 pitches and not swung at one previously this season.
Samardzija (5-2) gave up eight hits and one run in eight innings, his sixth quality start in eight outings this season. He struck out three and had no walks, dropping his ERA to a season-low 2.88.
Santiago Casilla got the final two outs for his eighth save.
Miller tripled and scored on Jean Segura's single in the fifth inning for a 1-0 lead. Segura, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games, leads the majors with 54 hits.
Miller has given up 21 earned runs and seven homers in 25 1/3 innings in five starts at Chase Field this season, losing four.
Span had two hits and scored a run and Pagan singled and walked in his first game since May 1. The Giants (20-18) has won their last three.
Chris Owings had three hits for Arizona (17-21), which has lost three in a row. The Diamondbacks are 5-14 at home.
Miller induced double play grounders in the second, third and fourth innings, the first two on changeups that had Brandon Crawford and Span off balance.
The Giants had three singles and a walk in the first four innings, but Miller faced only one batter over the minimum because of the double plays.
Crawford doubled off the center field fence with two outs in the fifth, representing the first Giant to reach second base.
Arizona had two hits in each of the first two innings but could not score against Samardzija, leaving runners on second and third with two outs in the first inning and first and third with one out in the second.
NOTES: Giants LF Angel Pagan started after missing the previous 11 games with a Grade 1 strain of his left hamstring. The Giants were 6-5 without Pagan. ... Arizona RF David Peralta (right wrist) missed his sixth straight start. His absence leaves the Diamondbacks with 11 position players as they are carrying a 13-man pitching staff. ... Giants RHP Santiago Casilla apologized to manager Bruce Bochy on Friday afternoon after criticizing Bochy for removing him with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth inning of a 4-2 victory over Arizona on Thursday. LHP Javier Lopez preserved the win with his first save of the year. "He came in" to the manager's office, Bochy said. "I'm going to leave it at that. What we said is between us. It's over." ... Arizona 2B Jean Segura extended his career-high on-base streak to 20 games.