If any Giants fans were concerned that the All-Star break might slow down rookie sensation Patrick Bailey, the catcher needed all but one game to remind fans how much he can impact the orange and black.
Bailey’s seventh-inning single scored two and put the Giants on top for good in a 6-4 win over the Pirates on Friday in Pittsburgh.
With the Giants down one to start the seventh, Bailey got a chance to hit with runners in scoring position after Wilmer Flores doubled, J.D. Davis walked and both advanced on a passed ball. On a 2-1 count with one out, Bailey pulled Colin Holderman’s fastball to right field for a single, scoring Flores.
Davis initially slowed up at third, but when Pirates rookie Henry Davis — usually a catcher, but playing right field on Friday — bobbled the ball, Giants third base coach Mark Hallberg sent J.D. Daavis to the plate and got the go-ahead run home without a throw.
After a pitching change, Bailey would then steal second on the first pitch for his first big league stolen base and score from second on fellow rookie Luis Matos’ two-out single, providing a much needed insurance run.
Bailey then caught two clean innings from Tyler Rogers and a scoreless ninth from Camilo Doval, who picked up his MLB-leading 27th save.
In the first game of a four-city, 11-game, 11-day road trip, Giants starter Ross Stripling matched zeroes with Pirates lefty Rich Hill for four innings until the fifth, when Michael Conforto hit a two-run single to score Brandon Crawford and Austin Slater.
Pittsburgh answered with two in the fifth on a Ji-Man Choi leadoff homer and a Stripling balk, which sent the tying run in from third. Stripling finished the game allowing those two runs on five hits and no walks in 4 2/3 innings pitched, striking out six.
The Giants would take the lead again in the sixth when Matos singled, advanced to third on a Casey Schmitt double and scored on a Crawford groundout. But Pittsburgh would take the lead in the sixth on sacrifice flies from Choi and Tucupita Marcano.
San Francisco is now 50-41 on the season and will carry a three-game winning streak into Saturday’s 4:05 p.m. game. All-Star right-hander Alex Cobb (6-2, 2.91 ERA) will take the mound for the Giants while the Pirates will counter with righty Johan Oviedo (3-10, 4.75 ERA).
