PHOENIX — It will not go down as a save for Camilo Doval. It likely won’t even be a night he’ll want to remember. Not after he blew the Giants’ two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth.
But for manager Bob Melvin, Doval’s ability to respond from allowing a game-tying homer in the ninth to closing out a win in the 10th — snapping a four-game losing streak in the process — was commendable in its own right.
“I’ll tell you what: I probably was (as) impressed with him as I’ve been all year,” Melvin said after the Giants’ 6-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night at Chase Field. “Going back out there and leaving the runner out there. I know he gives up the hit and the homer and that didn’t feel too terribly good, but to be able to respond from that and go out there and keep your wits about you. His stuff was even better in the last inning. So, it was impressive.”
Doval took the mound in the bottom of the ninth with San Francisco leading 5-3, positioned to finish what had, up to that point, been an excellent night for the bullpen.
Erik Miller entered in the bottom of the fifth with no outs and the bases loaded after Landen Roupp suddenly lost his command. The Diamondbacks were positioned to erase the Giants’ 3-1 lead, but Miller limited the damage to a sacrifice fly. From there, San Francisco’s parade of arms protected the advantage.
Spencer Bivens threw a scoreless sixth with two strikeouts. Randy Rodríguez worked around a walk and a single to put up a zero in the seventh. Tyler Rogers allowed an unearned run in the eighth due to an error by Tyler Fitzgerald but otherwise protected the lead.
That set the stage for Doval in the ninth.
Doval began his night by allowing a leadoff single to Geraldo Perdomo on a middle-middle cutter, immediately bringing the tying run to the plate. Stepping in: Ketel Marte.
Marte was named a starter for the National League All-Stars prior to the game, and against Doval, he proved why. Doval left a slide over the middle of the plate; Marte sent it into the right-field seats.
Game tied at five.
Doval retired the next three batters and sent the game to extras but the damage was done. Upon returning to the dugout, Doval asked for the 10th. Left-hander Joey Lucchesi began getting loose, but if the Giants took the lead in the top of the 10th, the bottom of the frame belonged to Doval.
“When he was told that if we score a run he goes back out there,” Melvin said, “he perked up.”
“My thought was whatever happened, happened,” Doval said through team interpreter Erwin Higueros. “It’s a brand new inning and just get the done now.”
Doval, who only threw 13 pitches in the ninth, got his chance. The Giants scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th as Patrick Bailey drove in Jung Hoo Lee, the automatic runner, with a sacrifice fly. True to the plan, Doval went back out for another chance to shut the door.
It wasn’t a save opportunity. It was a shot at redemption.
Blaze Alexander, the Diamondbacks’ automatic runner, advanced from second to third on Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s fly out to center field, putting the tying runner on third with one out. That’s as far as Alexander would advance. Doval struck out Jake McCarthy swinging with a down-and-inside slider, then iced the game by striking out Alek Thomas swinging with another low slider.
For Doval, it will go down as a blown save, a win and his first two-inning outing since July 14, 2022.
“Duvie battled tonight but came back in the 10th and finished it off for us,” said Roupp, who allowed two runs over four-plus innings with four strikeouts to four walks.
Not to be lost in the late-game dramatics was Lee’s best offensive game in recent memory. Lee fell just shy of the cycle but collected a single, double and triple as he enjoyed his first multi-hit game since June 4 and his first three-hit game since May 6.
The last two months have seen Lee extensively struggle at the plate. In May and June, Lee posted a slash line of .193/.273/.313 with three homers over 52 games. In June, specifically, Lee had a .551 OPS over 25 games. Lee’s cold spell contrasted his hot start, ending April with a .901 OPS with three homers over 30 games.
“June wasn’t great. Coming into July, I wanted to start it with a different feeling,” Lee said through team interpreter Justin Han. “In June … the coaches, the players, they’ve always been supportive so much and I just wanted to really give it back to them. I’m hoping that starting from today’s game, July, August and September will be great months for me.”
Lee said the struggles haven’t been easy mentally but he’s tried to maintain the idea that there’s always another game tomorrow. He believes he was a bit unlucky in June, and that’s most evidenced by his .127 BABIP — well below his career mark of .260. That lack of results then fed into mental struggles.
“This is probably the first time in his career he’s really struggled. It’s how you respond to that. He made a little bit of adjustments in what he was doing at the plate. It paid off for him. We all know he’s a really good hitter. Just went through a tough stretch, and hopefully he’s past that.”
Lee stepped to the plate in the top of the ninth needing a home run to complete the cycle but flew out to right field. While he had a big swing and miss on a 1-1 sweeper, he said he wasn’t swinging for a home run because the situation did not call for one. Lee, who accomplished the feat in the KBO, added that he wasn’t aware he needed a home run for a cycle.
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