Drew Gilbert homered and drove in a career-high-tying three runs, Blade Tidwell teamed with four relievers on a four-hitter and the San Francisco Giants opened a season-ending homestand with a 5-2 interleague victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night.
Brett Harris chipped in with a two-run single for San Francisco (65-92), which was coming off a three-game sweep in Los Angeles at the hands of the Dodgers.
Gilbert got the Giants headed in a positive direction by hitting Zerby Matthews’ fifth pitch of the game for a single. A single and steal by Bo Davidson in his major league debut put runners at second and third, from where they raced home on Harris’ two-out hit.
Gilbert was on the run-producing end in the second inning, sending Osleivis Basabe and Christian Koss home with a two-RBI single of his own, increasing the lead to 4-0.
The Giants completed their scoring when Gilbert led off the fifth with his third consecutive hit, this one his 11th homer of the season.
Matthews (9-11) was pulled at inning’s end, having allowed five runs and eight hits. He struck out nine.
His counterpart, Tidwell, pulled himself from the game with one out in the fourth inning after appearing to injure his throwing arm while pitching to Ryan Jeffers. He summoned the Giants’ trainer to the mound, then exited the game, having allowed one run and three hits in 3 1/3 innings, striking out four.
Two batters earlier, Tidwell saw his shutout bid end when Brooks Lee launched his 24th home of the season to right-center field leading off the fourth.
Tristan Beck (1-0), Sam Hentges, Jason Foley and Trent Harris combined to get the final 17 outs, allowing just one more hit and one more run. Beck was credited with the win after throwing 2 2/3 innings of hitless ball.
That hit and run were the product of one swing of Emmanuel Rodriguez’s bat on Foley’s first pitch of the eighth inning. The shot to center field was Rodriguez’s second homer of the rookie’s 10-game major league career.
Brett Harris finished with two hits for the Giants, who outhit the Twins 10-4.
Minnesota (73-84) lost for the third time in five games on a seven-day Western swing.
