Mariners end road trip with 6-2 loss to Giants

SAN FRANCISCO — J.A. Happ hit his spot the first time he faced Matt Duffy only to watch the ball leave the ballpark. Duffy helped wake up San Francisco’s silent bats with a two-run homer in the second inning and added an RBI single in a three-run eighth that helped the Giants snap a nine-game home losing streak by beating the Seattle Mariners 6-2 on Tuesday. “The pitch before was also down and in,” Happ said. “How many people hit that ball where it was? That was pretty frustrating. I wasn’t as sharp as I wanted to be but I gave us some innings and a chance.” It wasn’t enough as Seattle failed to generate much offense and the bullpen allowed the Giants to break it open late. Brad Miller homered and drove in two runs for the Mariners, who split the two-game series in San Francisco and finished 4-4 on an eight-game road trip and fell seven games under .500. “It’s perception versus reality,” manager Lloyd McClendon said. “The perception is we’re treading water and the reality is we’re not playing as well as we should be playing. Today was a perfect example. We did not get the one hit to get us over the top.” Casey McGehee added a two-run double and Angel Pagan hit an RBI single as the Giants snapped their longest home skid since an 11-gamer at New York’s Polo Grounds in 1940. Tim Lincecum (7-3) allowed two runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings to get the win in his second start against his hometown team. “This is a game we needed just to kind of change momentum of how things have been going,” McGehee said. “Definitely a better taste in our mouth getting on the plane this way rather than the alternative.” The Giants avoided their first winless homestand of at least five games since the first one ever at AT&T Park in 2000. They did it by getting some rare offense at home. San Francisco had scored just 17 runs during the home skid and had not homered in five straight games here before Duffy went deep in the second inning against Happ (3-3). Lincecum, who has won five of six decisions at home, failed to make it out of the sixth inning. He allowed a solo homer in the fifth to Miller and then an RBI single to Miller in the sixth that cut the lead to 3-2. George Kontos entered with two outs and runners on first and third and got Mike Zunino to fly out. Pagan was ejected in the eighth inning after arguing with home plate umpire John Hirschbeck. The Giants still ended up with some insurance runs when Tom Wilhelmsen walked two batters before Duffy hit an RBI single and McGehee broke it open with a pinch-hit, two-run double. Happ took the loss after conceding three earned runs over six innings. He allowed seven hits and two walks while striking out five.

Donnelly returns

Mariners third-base coach Rich Donnelly returned after missing Monday’s game with a urinary tract infection. Donnelly will see another doctor when he returns to Seattle. “I spent three hours in the hospital and took some antibiotics,” he said. “I have some pills. Hopefully this thing is cleared up. It’s not fun.”

Trainer’s room

Mariners: LF Mark Trumbo did not start for a third straight game because of back spasms. He grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and could be back in the starting lineup by Wednesday. Giants: OF Hunter Pence will wear a splint on his injured left wrist for the next five to seven days and will not swing a bat. … OF Gregor Blanco was scheduled to run sprints and take part in baseball activity as he recovers from a concussion. He is expected to be able to play again in a day or two.

Up next

Mariners: The four-game matchup shifts to Seattle for the final two games starting with a marquee pitching duel between Seattle’s Felix Hernandez (9-3) and Madison Bumgarner (7-3). Hernandez allowed eight runs while retiring only one batter last Friday against Houston, matching the shortest start of his career. Giants: Bumgarner makes his first appearance against an AL team since his five-inning save in Game 7 of the World Series last year against Kansas City that earned him Series MVP honors. Bumgarner allowed one run in eight innings of a no-decision in his only appearance against the Mariners.