PHOENIX — Denard Span homered and Hunter Pence added a two-run double to help the San Francisco Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 Sunday afternoon to complete a three-game sweep.
Giants starter Matt Moore (3-4) added seven strong innings, allowing two runs while scattering eight hits. Moore struck out 11, matching a season high, and walked one.
Hunter Strickland pitched the ninth for his third save and first since June 23 against the Yankees in New York.
San Francisco moved within three games of Los Angeles in the National League West and two games ahead of St. Louis for the first wild-card spot. Miami beat the Dodgers 3-0 and Milwaukee downed the Cardinals 2-1 earlier Sunday.
Welington Castillo homered for the Diamondbacks, who have dropped six straight and seven of their past nine.
Zack Greinke (12-6) went six for the Diamondbacks, giving up three runs on six hits with three strikeouts and four walks. It was Greinke’s second consecutive loss and marked the first time he lost consecutive starts since his first two outings of the season.
After allowing Span’s home run on the second pitch of the game, Greinke largely held the Giants in check until his control failed him in the sixth with Arizona holding a 2-1 lead.
Greinke walked Angel Pagan to lead off the inning and, after retiring Buster Posey on a fly ball to the wall in center, walked Brandon Crawford and Pence to load the bases. Brandon Belt followed with a single to short left, scoring Pagan to tie the game at 2-2.
Greinke induced a grounder to first from Joe Panik, but Crawford was able to scamper home to give the Giants a 3-2 lead. Greinke intentionally walked Eduardo Nunez and retired Moore on a fly to left to escape the inning.
San Francisco made it 5-2 in the seventh when Pence’s two-run double followed a walk to Pagan and a single by Crawford.
Castillo homered to left in the eighth off Sergio Romo to cut San Francisco’s lead to 5-3.
Jake Lamb tripled and scored on a Brandon Drury single to tie game at 1-1 in the second. Arizona took the lead in the fifth when Chris Owings singled and scored on a single by Castillo.
NOTES: San Francisco OF Denard Span’s leadoff home run was the fifth of his career. … After finishing their 10-game road trip Sunday, the Giants will play 13 of their final 20 contests at AT&T Park. … Giants OF Hunter Pence on Saturday became the eighth player since 1900 to post consecutive games with at least three hits and four runs scored. Pence is the first player to accomplish the feat since New York Mets 3B David Wright in 2005. … Diamondbacks LHP Andrew Chaffin remains sidelined with tightness in his left shoulder. Chaffin was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday but has yet to appear in a game.
