Astros Steal Late-Night Thriller in SF: Peña’s 10th-Inning Heroics Snap Giants’ Hopes
SAN FRANCISCO — The Astros rolled into Oracle Park with their backs against the wall, and rolled out with a 6-3 extra-innings steal. Jeremy Peña ripped a go-ahead single with nobody out in the 10th, Isaac Paredes followed with a two-run double, and Houston flipped a late-game gut punch into a full-blown comeback victory Monday night.
Wild pitch chaos starts the party
Cam Smith began the 10th as the automatic runner at second, and the Giants’ bullpen immediately lost the plot. Jason Foley uncorked a wild pitch that moved Smith to third, and Peña made him pay with the go-ahead knock. Paredes then slammed a two-run double to put the game on ice. Josh Hader (4-1) slung two perfect innings of relief to slam the door.
Late-game drama, Giants-style
The Giants looked like they had this one locked up. Drew Gilbert launched a go-ahead homer in the seventh after an earlier sacrifice fly, and Jung Hoo Lee went deep in the fifth. But the San Francisco bullpen couldn’t hold the lead. Cam Smith tied it in the ninth with a two-out RBI single against closer Dylan Smith — this after already going yard for the 16th time in the seventh. The kid was a one-man wrecking crew, finishing with three hits.
Starting pitching was real
Blade Tidwell gave the Giants a solid outing, punching out six and walking one over 5 2/3 innings. He allowed just one run on four hits, but a no-decision means he’s still waiting on career win No. 2. Meanwhile, the Astros scratched across a run in the first when Jose Altuve lifted a sac fly. Yordan Alvarez set that up with a one-out double that Lee nearly tracked down — but the ball won.
What it means
Houston had dropped two straight and three of four before this one, but they’re now 24-15 over their last five road trips and 30-21 since starting the season 1-9 away from home. Not too shabby for a squad that keeps finding ways to scrap. The Giants, meanwhile, got brutal news before the game: Matt Chapman will undergo season-ending surgery Tuesday for a core muscle injury after getting checked out in Philadelphia. That’s a tough blow for a team already drowning in a lost season.
Up next
The Astros hand the ball to Hunter Brown (3-1, 3.53 ERA) for the middle game of the series. The Giants hadn’t named a starter — probably still figuring out who’s available after that bullpen implosion.