Pitchers vying for long-awaited wins meet as Giants, A's close series

The San Francisco Giants can thank rookie Victor Bericoto for the chance to complete a three-game home sweep of the Athletics on Thursday afternoon.

Rafael Devers hit a game-tying home run to lead off the ninth inning on Wednesday night, and after two outs, Bericoto followed with a walk-off shot, giving the Giants a 2-1 victory.

Following a 3-1 triumph in the series opener, the Giants will go for a third straight win Thursday, with right-hander Landen Roupp (5-7, 4.15 ERA) opposing A's left-hander Jeffrey Springs (3-7, 5.55).

Both pitchers are mired in long winless streaks -- Springs at 12 games and Roupp at nine.

With the Giants awaiting the return of standout left fielder Heliot Ramos (quad strain) from a rehab stint in the minors, Bericoto, 24, stamped himself as a candidate for continued playing time with both his dramatic homer Wednesday and also a run-saving defensive play.

In the fifth inning of a scoreless pitchers' duel between the A's Gage Jump and Giants' Tyler Mahle, Bericoto, playing left field, chased down an errant throw behind third base in foul territory and gunned down Jacob Wilson trying to score.

"The throw was awesome," Giants manager Tony Vitello said after the game. "The key to the throw was he used the turf. It wasn't an in-between hop; he didn't try to throw it a million miles an hour. It was a clean, one-hop play to the plate, and that's why it worked out in our favor.

"To react that way, and be in a position like that, he's doing a real good job."

The out called at home was doubly painful for the A's in that Wilson, attempting to elude the tag of Giants catcher Eric Haase, jammed his left shoulder while lunging for the plate.

The star shortstop stayed in the game but struck out looking in his next at-bat, prompting A's manager Mark Kotsay to pull him for a pinch hitter in the top of the ninth in a crucial situation.

With two on and two out, pinch hitter Jonah Heim launched a shot toward the right-field foul pole, but Jung Hoo Lee ran it down, preventing a one-run game from ballooning to 3-0. Max Muncy had hit a soio homer in the eighth to give the A's a 1-0 lead.

The decision to pull Wilson from the game also forced Kotsay to move third baseman Muncy to shortstop for the last of the ninth, with Heim, normally a catcher, making his major league debut as a third baseman.

The A's could find themselves having to pull up a more polished shortstop from the minors for the series finale, depending not only upon Wilson's health but also that of second baseman Zack Gelof.

Gelof had to sit out the game on Wednesday after suffering a cut on the back of his right hand in the series opener.

Kotsay acknowledged afterward to the media that Wilson was not in good shape at game's end Wednesday.

"His swings were not good. He gave us everything he had," Kotsay said. "In that situation, with a chance to add on to the lead, with him not being able to swing the bat, I made the decision to take him out of the game."

Roupp could see a seriously short-handed lineup as he attempts to end his winless streak, which began May 2. He has faced the A's just once in his career, throwing six shutout innings in a no-decision on May 17, 2025, in a 1-0, 10-inning home win.

Springs hasn't won since April 14. He's pitched well against the Giants in his career, going 0-1 with a 1.23 ERA in three outings (two starts). San Francisco has tagged him for just two earned runs in 14 2/3 innings.

--Field Level Media

--Field Level Media