Brett Wisely hits walk-off home run vs. Dodgers

SAN FRANCISCO — On the same day the Giants lost their starting second baseman, Thairo Estrada, to the injured list, they ended up getting a huge lift from the man who stepped in to replace him.

Brett Wisely launched a walk-off, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift San Francisco to a dramatic 5-3 series-opening win over the rival Dodgers on Friday night at Oracle Park.

The Giants took a 3-2 lead into the ninth following another strong start from ace right-hander Logan Webb, but the Dodgers rallied to tie the game against closer Camilo Doval in the top of the ninth. Andy Pages led off with a triple that hit off the heel of center fielder Heliot Ramos’ glove and came home on Jason Heyward’s sacrifice fly, but the Giants countered with the decisive blow in the bottom half of the inning.

Luis Matos drew a leadoff walk against Blake Treinen to bring up Wisely, who cranked a 1-2 slider out to right field to give the Giants their fourth win in their last five games. It was the first career walk-off hit for Wisely and the seventh walk-off win of the season for the Giants, one behind the Marlins for the most in the Majors.

“That was an unbelievable moment,” Wisely said. “I was trying to see something up in the zone to get on base if I can. I got a good pitch to hit up in the zone and took a good swing on it.”

“That’s one that in his career he’s never going to forget,” manager Bob Melvin said.

Wisely, 25, has emerged as a key contributor since being recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on May 11, batting .304 with a .794 OPS and three homers while playing solid defense at both middle infield spots. With Estrada sidelined, Wisely should get a chance to keep playing regularly at second base, his natural position.

“He’s been awesome,” Webb said. “He’s a grinder. The no batting gloves thing, I love it. I think that’s one of our favorite things. He goes up there every day and gives it all. It’s exciting to see because I got to know him a little bit better last year. This year, you can just see the confidence. The talent’s always been there.”

Wisely’s game-winning blast capped an emotional night for the Giants, who announced the passing of another Hall of Famer, Orlando Cepeda, before the top of the sixth inning. The Giants held a moment of silence for Cepeda, who died 10 days after fellow franchise icon Willie Mays.

“He’s probably there with us again, just like Willie the other night here,” Melvin said. “Dramatic wins late, walk-off-type thing again. But from pitch one, the place was rocking. It’s kind of what happens when [the Dodgers are] here and it’s a Friday night. It’s all the ingredients to be a really emotional-type game.”

All of the Giants’ runs came via the long ball, as Matos put the club on the board with a fifth-inning solo shot before Matt Chapman ripped a two-run blast off Daniel Hudson in the sixth. The three homers helped back Webb, who tossed seven innings of two-run ball to give the Giants’ taxed bullpen a much-needed breather.

Webb allowed five hits, walked three and struck out six while completing at least seven innings for a Major League-leading 10th time this season. The 27-year-old right-hander continued to boost his case for his first career All-Star nod by lowering his ERA to 3.12 over 112 1/3 innings, tied with the Mariners’ Logan Gilbert for the most in the Majors this year.

Webb’s durability has been indispensable for the Giants, who have been leaning heavily on their bullpen to cover innings now that their injury-depleted rotation is down to only three starters. The Giants needed to use only two relievers — Tyler Rogers and Doval — after Webb’s departure, which should help them navigate their two upcoming bullpen games on Saturday and Sunday.

“Those guys, simply put, they wear it,” Webb said of the Giants’ bullpen, which leads the Majors with 340 2/3 innings this year. “They go out there and give us so many innings. I try to go out there and give as many as I can every time. I wanted to go back out there [in the eighth], to be honest, but BoMel is a very convincing person. I think every time I go out there, I’m trying to give as many innings, as many pitches as I can just to give those guys a blow. Those guys have been so good for us. Throwing so many innings, it’s pretty incredible.”