Pitching, bats work in concert; Casilla pouts

San Francisco’s road trip opened on a winning note Thursday in Arizona, but the 4-2 victory didn’t lack for drama.

For the second consecutive game the Giants got the starting pitching they’d sorely lacked, and for the second straight day the bullpen (in particular one Santiago Casilla) made the finish a lot more interesting than it needed to be.

Yeah, dude. Just keep on steppin'. (AP)

Casilla managed the unthinkable; melting down three times in two days. He gave up a ninth-inning game-tying blast on Wednesday (the Giants won in 13) but still got the call on Thursday. He faltered again, and then whined like a kindergartener who lost his juice box when Manager Bruce Bochy yanked his sorry backside when he loaded the bases.

Veteran lefty Javy Lopez got Mike Lamb on a grounder to end the game, giving the Orange and Black their first win over the Snakes in five tries.

Casilla’s antics threatened to overshadow another outstanding start for Johnny Cueto and a victory over the guy the Giants almost signed instead. Zack Greinke, who this past offseason was reportedly within 30 minutes of a contract with the Giants, had been a perfect 8-0 in 11 starts against the G-Men.  That blew up, and in a big way, in the middle innings.

It didn’t start out looking like the night would be that rosy. Cueto surrendered three hits and a run in the Arizona first to put the Giants in a quick hole. But the offense, slumbering for the better part of two weeks, finally showed signs of life. They’ve been on life support but apparently someone pulled the plug then put it back in. Rebooting always works, right?

Cueto ended up going seven innings, the sixth time in seven starts he’s hit that plateau. He scattered eight hits and walked a pair but struck out nine in allowing both Arizona runs. He was especially tough on perennial Giants killer Paul Goldschmidt, whom he fanned three times.

Tim Lincecum is still down in Arizona, waiting for the phone to ring. Maybe he should have been taking notes.

Greinke? Let’s just say his night wasn’t as enjoyable.  In six innings of work, Greinke gave up the same eight hits, walked three, and struck out four. During one stretch over innings four and five, seven of 11 Giants batters hit safely. That was especially good news for fans of Buster Posey and Joe Panik. Posey, riding a horrendous 1-for-25 streak, singled twice. Panik, nearly as inept since his return from injury, launched a two-run homer.

Here's Johnny! What, you haven't made that joke?  (AP)

Comparing the dueling free agent signees, Cueto is now 5-1 with a 2.97 ERA. Greinke falls to 3-3 with an ERA of 5.26. Oh, and Cueto cost the Giants about $100 million less.

After spotting Arizona the early lead, the Giants got even in the fourth on Brandon Belt’s RBI hit, the last of three successive hits to lead off the inning. Duffy and Posey had set the stage, Belt delivered the tying run, and a Hunter Pence ground out chased home Posey. The Giants wouldn’t relinquish the lead.

They were back at it in the fifth. Denard Span opened with single before Panik crushed a Greinke offering deep into the right field seats. Panik isn’t lauded as a power hitter, but when he hits them they stay hit.

Arizona drew closer with in the sixth on Chris Owings’ RBI triple, and it stayed that way as Josh Osich and Cory Gearrin navigated the eighth for San Francisco. Then came Casilla.

He struck out Chris Herman to open the ninth, the surrendered a double and single, both of which were stung. A strikeout of Brandon Drury put the Giants an out from victory but Casilla walked Goldschmidt to load the bases, and Bochy had had enough.

Casilla fumed as he left the mound and later told the Chronicle’s John Shea (through an interpreter) that the move showed a lack of confidence in his abilities. No kidding. Casilla had already blown three of 10 save opportunities, and Lopez saved him from a fourth.

He’s a statistical anomaly. Casilla is one of those guys who also ways has good numbers, but also seems to consistently tap dance in a mine field. Uninteresting saves are rare, and 1-2 3 frames seem about as commonplace as a vegan dining at Black Angus.

Panik accepts congrats after going yard. Yep, he's bad. (AP)

The Giants are no stranger to high-drama closers, but Casilla is more Armando Benitez or Jose Mesa than Brian Wilson or Robb Nen. The latter pair always seemed to be at their best when the stakes were highest. Casilla always seems on the verge of folding like a $4 CVS umbrella some six-year-old uses as a parachute when leaping off the garage.

San Francisco peeks back over the .500 mark (19-18), sharing the NL West lead with Los Angeles. The Dodgers thumped New York 5-0 behind 13 strikeouts from Clayton Kershaw, who looks awesome again in not-October.

Game Two of the series is Friday. Jeff Samardzija (4-2, 3.17 ERA) takes on Shelby Miller (1-3, 7.36 ERA). Miller is coming off his first win of the year while Samardzija had a no decision they last time out after having won three straight.

It’ll be a slightly different team taking the field for SF. Left Fielder Angel Pagan was reportedly available last night off the bench but wasn’t needed, and the Giants feel comfortable enough with this status to send Jarrett Parker back to AAA. They’ve opted for another arm and brought up Clayton Blackburn, whose next trip to a Major League mound will be his first.

Blackburn is a starter so his addition immediately started speculation that Matt Cain or Jake Peavy might be on the way out. Cain’s contract status makes it hard to swallow his deal, (he’s signed through next year (there’s a vesting option for 2018 as well) and Peavy apparently has photos of someone in management doing unmentionable things with farm animals. More likely Blackburn will be an option in long relief, which means he can expect to pitch on Saturday when Peavy makes his next start.

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