Giants Rally to Victory with Eldridge’s Walk-Off Grand Slam

SAN FRANCISCO — Bryce Eldridge’s final swing didn’t even need to leave the ballpark. It was an appropriate finish for a game the Giants really didn’t have to win.

On a 2-0 slider, he launched a grand slam that just cleared the right-field brick wall, and the Giants, who had trailed by nine runs an inning earlier, stunned the Nationals with an 11-10 comeback to avoid a sweep.

Matt Chapman played a key role in this comeback, hitting his second solo homer of the day in the eighth inning, while Rafael Devers added a couple of crucial RBIs. By the time the Nationals had their own five-run rally against Penn, the Giants had trimmed the deficit to 9-6.

Robbie Ray, who was close to completing a game for the first time since May 8, ended up in a bit of trouble but could still have lost the match had it not been for Eldridge’s late-game heroics.

Though Ray gave up five runs and fell one out short of a complete sixth inning, his performance was better than the numbers suggested.

The Giants, after forcing Ray’s replacement, Foster Griffin, out of the game after six innings, faced a challenge as their bullpen struggled, allowing the Nationals to add to their lead, which ballooned to 9-1 before the bats woke up.

Eldridge’s reaction? He seemed unfazed.

Before the rookie’s big moment, Mitchell Parker had a bases-loaded hit for the Giants, but Gus Berland was brought in during the ninth because he was unable to retire the three batters. A strong double from Luis Arraez set the stage for Chapman, who followed up with his fourth hit in the game.

Ultimately, the win was credited to Liver San Martin, who made his debut this season. A solo hit by Curtis Meade pushed the Nationals’ lead to 10-6 heading into the bottom of the ninth.