PHOENIX -- Ryan Klesko played right field like an injured elephant and ran the bases with his head down, and it appeared those mistakes would cost the Giants in yet another one-run loss Thursday night. But on the last night of an insufferable road trip, the Giants came back. Pedro Feliz hit a game-tying, solo home run off Arizona closer Jose Valverde leading off the ninth inning, Omar Vizquel scored Ray Durham with the go-ahead run in the 11th and the bullpen held firm in a 5-4 victory over the Diamondbacks.
Giants relievers combined for five scoreless innings, extending the game long enough for their offense to score. That's something that hadn't happened on this 10-game trip, which included three losses on walk-off home runs. The Giants had their first save situation since trading Armando Benitez last week, but manager Bruce Bochy used closer Brad Hennessey in the eighth inning to ensure the underused reliever would get some work.
That left Steve Kline to toddle out of the bullpen in the bottom of the 11th. Kline gave up a deep drive to Robby Hammock that Randy Winn caught on the warning track in center field, then retired the next two hitters to record his first save of the season. "My young Jedis did a great job out there," Kline said.
"The bullpen was resilient. I get more excitement seeing these young guys all throwing well. Jack Taschner nearly gave up a walk-off homer to Chris Young in the 10th inning, but his deep drive hooked a few feet foul.
It would have been Young's second walk-off in three games. "Especially with young guys, it's going to happen," said Taschner, who joked that he blew the ball foul. "We've taken our lumps on this trip, so to pull together and pull a win out of this is big.
" The Giants avoided a three-game sweep at Chase Field; they entered the game 0-5 in the Sonoran Desert, all one-run losses. They also avoided turning an emotionally draining road trip into a total calamity. They finished 4-6 -- not a total disaster, considering the series of shocking losses they took.
The Giants scored the go-ahead run in nifty fashion. Durham alertly went from first to third on a single when left fielder Eric Byrnes momentarily bobbled the ball. Durham made it safely into third base with a headfirst slide, though he wouldn't have been able to advance if he hadn't rounded second base aggressively while keeping his eye on the ball.
"It was great hustle on his part," Bochy said. "It probably won the game for us." Vizquel, who hit a rare two-run homer in the third inning, followed with a great situational approach.
He anticipated an outside pitch, stuck out his bat and guided it into left field to score Durham. The victory covered up some egregious mistakes by Klesko, who ran into a costly out in the third. He also failed to make a play on Scott Hairston's catchable double off Noah Lowry in the fourth inning, then turned a one-run single into a two-run triple when he decided to make a diving attempt on Conor Jackson's blooper.
Klesko hadn't started in right field since 2002. "I was trying to get some bats in there," Bochy said. "I probably put him in a tough spot.
" Barry Bonds returned to the lineup after missing two games with shin splints and general leg soreness. His legs were immediately tested, as he beat out an infield single in the sixth. Contact Andrew Baggarly at abaggarly@mercurynews.
com TODAY: A's (Chad Gaudin 6-1) at Giants (Tim Lincecum 2-0), 7:15 p.m. PHOENIX -- Ryan Klesko played right field like an injured elephant and ran the bases with his head down, and it appeared those mistakes would cost the Giants in yet another one-run loss Thursday night.
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