Posey walks in winner in 13th, Giants beat Blue Jays 5-4
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Buster Posey might have just been a little weary after catching his second 13-inning game in five days. After struggling the past few games, he took the walk.
"It's a win," he said. "You get to the point about 4 1/2 hours in, does it really matter?"
His walk on four straight balls with the bases loaded in the 13th inning let the San Francisco Giants salvage one win in their three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-4 on Wednesday.
"It's good to win any way you can," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "I'll take the walk."
Brandon Belt was hit by a pitch to open the inning and Denard Span's bunt attempt was mishandled at second. Following a wild pitch, Joe Panik was walked intentionally.
Matt Duffy lined out to first base before Posey took the walk from Ryan Tepera (0-1).
Albert Suarez (1-0) pitched an inning for his first major-league victory.
Madison Bumgarner pitched 6 2/3 solid innings, allowing one run on three hits. He owns a 1.87 ERA over his last five starts.
"He was in a tough spot there," Bumgarner said of Suarez. "Any time there's a first win, you're extremely happy for him, especially a guy like that."
Bumgarner retired 12 of 14 batters during one stretch. He walked four and struck out five.
Michael Saunders, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh, led off the ninth with a home run to straightaway center against closer Santiago Casilla, who blew his third save.
"Your whole goal is to try to win series, on the road especially," Saunders said. "All season long, you win the first two and you try to get greedy, get the third one. It just didn't go our way."
Hunter Pence and Gregor Blanco each doubled home a run and Span drove in a run for the Giants, who had lost five of seven.
Josh Donaldson collected four hits, walked and scored a pair of runs for the Blue Jays, who had won five of seven. Edwin Encarnacion, Russell Martin and Justin Smoak also drove in runs.
Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman delivered another solid outing. He gave up four runs -- two earned -- on eight hits in his six innings. Stroman walked two and struck out five.
Posey, who ended a 0-for-18 streak with a single in the first, grounded into a bases-loaded double play in the fifth, allowing Span to score.
The Blue Jays scored a pair of runs in the eighth against Cory Gearrin on Martin's sacrifice fly and Smoak's pinch hit single.
TRAINER'S ROOM:
Blue Jays: LHP Aaron Loup (left elbow) threw an inning, about 10 pitches, during an extended spring training game on Tuesday. If he comes out of it OK he will start a rehab assignment on Saturday. ... OF Michael Saunders was not in the starting lineup as a routine day off.
Giants: RHP George Kontos is scheduled to rejoin the Giants when they travel to San Diego to open a three-game against the Padres on Tuesday. He's on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento, tossing two scoreless innings in two games. ... RHP Sergio Romo continues to make "slow progress" in his recovery from a right flexor strain. He was scheduled to throw 35 pitches off a mound. "There are no issues with his elbow," Bochy said. "He's on his way."
UP NEXT:
Blue Jays: RHP R.A. Dickey (1-4, 5.18 ERA) makes the start for Toronto on Friday in Texas, the opener of a three-game set with the Rangers.
Giants: RHP Johnny Cueto (4-1, 3.02) starts Thursday night's game at the Arizona Diamondbacks. He's 6-2 with a 2.70 ERA in nine games against the Diamondbacks.
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This story has been corrected to show in UP NEXT that R.A. Dickey starts for Blue Jays against Texas, not LHP Martin Perez.