SAN FRANCISCO – Just when it looked as though the Giants appeared to have the miraculous comeback formula down to a science, somebody pulled the plug on the thrill machine.
For the third straight day and fourth time in six games, the Giants rallied dramatically from a deficit, but this time they couldn't deliver the finishing blow and lost 8-6 in 11 innings Tuesday night to the Arizona Diamondbacks at AT&T Park.
The Giants, who used an astounding 11 pitchers in the game, rallied from an early 6-2 deficit to tie the score 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh and had a golden chance to seize the lead in the bottom of the eighth, but that rally stalled and ultimately so did San Francisco.
As it turned out, it didn't hurt the Giants in the National League West standings, as the Dodgers also lost in extra innings to San Diego and remain 4 1/2 games behind. But after staging such a magnificent rally, the Giants were lamenting one that got away.
The Giants had runners at first and third with nobody out in the eighth, and also had the bases loaded with one out, but they failed to bring home the lead run when pinch-hitter Hector Sanchez hit into an inning-ending double play.
They never got a better opportunity than that.
In the 11th, Jason Kubel's RBI triple off left-handed reliever Javier Lopez (3-1) scored Aaron Hill, who had opened the inning with a single, his fifth hit of the night. Kubel then scored on a Miguel Montero single.
The Giants put the tying runs on board in the bottom of the 11th with nobody out, but their drama ran dry on three straight outs by the top of the order – Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro hit fly ball outs, and Pablo Sandoval grounded out against Arizona's sixth pitcher, Josh Collmenter (4-3).
Notes – The Giants recalled Emmanuel Burriss from Triple-A Fresno before Tuesday's game.
The Giants also recalled right-hander Dan Otero and left-hander Dan Runzler.
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