The Arizona Diamondbacks handed the San Francisco Giants a 8-7 loss at Scottsdale Stadium on Saturday in spring training play. Despite Rafael Devers's 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI effort at the plate, the Giants could not pull even when it mattered. On the mound, Adrian Houser turned in a solid outing, working 5.0 innings of 2-run ball with six strikeouts. The Giants finished with 16 hits on the day while holding the Diamondbacks to 11. The loss is a minor bump as the Giants continue fine-tuning ahead of Opening Day. The exhibition season is about preparation, and today provided the kind of reps the coaching staff needs to see.

Key Performers

Rafael Devers was the top performer at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. His power was on full display throughout the game. The Giants will be hoping for more of the same as the spring continues.

Daniel Susac provided support, going 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI, Jesus Rodriguez also contributed, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, and Will Brennan chipped in, going 1-for-3 with an RBI. The Giants showed flashes of offense but could not piece together the big inning they needed.

On the other side of the diamond, Jacob Amaya led the Diamondbacks offense with a 2-for-4 with a home run and five RBI day. Luken Baker also contributed, going 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Angel Ortiz added a 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI effort as well. The Diamondbacks offense proved to be too much for the Giants pitching staff to contain on this particular day.

On the Mound

Adrian Houser got the start, turning in a quality outing, working 5.0 innings while allowing 2 earned runs on 4 hits with six strikeouts. He threw 73 pitches in the outing. The coaching staff will review his performance as they continue mapping out the pitching plan for the regular season.

The bullpen combined for 4.0 innings of work, allowing 6 earned runs while striking out one. The Giants continue to sort through their relief options as they build their Opening Day bullpen. Every inning pitched in the spring is an opportunity for pitchers to make their case for a spot on the roster when the games start counting. Logan Mercado recorded the save to close out the game.

How It Happened

The Giants struck first, scoring a run in the second inning. The Giants pushed across a run in the third. Diamondbacks struck back with two runs in the fourth. The Giants answered with five runs in the fourth. Diamondbacks responded with four runs in the sixth. Diamondbacks pushed across a run in the seventh. Diamondbacks plated a run in the eighth. The Diamondbacks were able to score in four separate innings, keeping the pressure on throughout the contest. The Giants out-hit Diamondbacks 16-11 on the day, with 1 error committed between the two clubs. A crowd of 10,193 was on hand to take in the action.

Looking Ahead

Despite the result, the Giants will take the lessons learned from this game and move forward. Spring training is about preparation and evaluation, not wins and losses, and the coaching staff gained valuable information about the roster today. There is still time to make adjustments before the regular season begins, and games like this one are part of that process.