SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Mac Williamson hit a go-ahead home run leading off the eighth inning for his first career long ball, Brandon Belt also connected, and the San Francisco Giants beat David Price and the Boston Red Sox 2-1 on Wednesday night to split the quick two-game series.
Price (7-3) struck out seven over eight innings, allowing three hits and two runs with two walks.
He and Madison Bumgarner opposed each other in a rare matchup between two of baseball’s top left-handers representing each league.
Both surrendered only a home run before Williamson sent the first pitch deep into the bleachers in left field.
Cory Gearrin (2-0) struck out two in a 1-2-3 eighth for the win. Santiago Casilla entered and Williamson immediately committed a two-base error when he dropped Hanley Ramirez’s leadoff fly in the ninth, the ball glancing off the outside edge of his glove. One out later, Javier Lopez relieved to face pinch-hitter David Ortiz, who walked.
Lopez struck out Travis Shaw then Hunter Strickland retired pinch-hitter Marco Hernandez on a groundout for his second career save and first since 2014.
Belt splashed an 0-1 pitch into McCovey Cove for the 69th by a Giants player and first since Belt did so on Sept. 24, 2014. This was his fifth splash homer, while home run king Barry Bonds hit 35 of them.
This marked the first career start at AT&T Park for Price, who received a $217 million, seven-year contract to join Boston during the offseason. He was 3-1 in his previous five starts.
Chris Young homered in the fourth for Boston, and he has hit safely in each of his last 14 starts. Dustin Pedroia extended his majors-best hitting streak to 15 games with a leadoff single in the sixth.
After San Francisco’s five-game home winning streak was snapped in a 5-3, 10-inning loss Tuesday night, the Giants earned just their fifth victory in the last 14 meetings with Boston and only the third in 11 at AT&T Park.
The Red Sox lost for only the third time in their last 12 interleague games, dropping to 5-2 in their last seven in the Giants’ waterfront ballpark.
The Giants have won each of the last nine starts by Bumgarner, and the 2014 World Series MVP’s stretch of six straight winning decisions held since an April 20 loss to Arizona.
Price acknowledged he wasn’t accustomed to facing a pitcher with the hitting credentials of Bumgarner, who has two home runs but went 0 for 2.
Williamson became the first Giants player to put his team ahead on a first career home run in the eighth inning or later since John Patterson in the ninth inning on Sept. 1, 1993, at Atlanta.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: Brock Holt, sidelined since May 20 with a concussion, will meet the team in Minnesota and the next steps will be determined. He spent Wednesday being examined by the University of Pittsburgh’s renowned concussion experts. “He continues to show improvement but is he ready for rehab? The symptoms are there but they’re diminishing,” manager John Farrell said.
Giants: RF Hunter Pence is set for surgery on his torn right hamstring Thursday in Dallas. … C Buster Posey sat out a third straight game with an irritated nerve in his right thumb, and with Thursday’s off day he have five full days of rest. Posey has caught Bumgarner every game since 2014, 45 straight. … RHP Sergio Romo (elbow strain) threw up to 90 feet. … RHP Matt Cain (strained right hamstring) threw a 72-pitch simulated game while OF Angel Pagan (left hamstring strain) ran the bases and might be ready to begin a rehab assignment as soon as this weekend.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: RHP Steven Wright (6-4, 2.29 ERA) has thrown a complete game in each of his last three starts heading into his outing Friday at Minnesota.
Giants: RHP Johnny Cueto (9-1, 2.16) pitches Friday’s series opener opposite Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw (8-1, 1.46). He is 2-0 this season vs. L.A. and 4-2 with a 2.43 ERA over his last six facing the Dodgers.