Giants' big win tempered by loss of Pablo Sandoval for season

PHOENIX - It was a good news, bad news kind of night for the San Francisco Giants.

Madison Bumgarner worked through traffic in five innings to out-pitch Zack Greinke in a duel of aces, lifting the Giants to an 8-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night.

But that came on the heels of finding out earlier in the day that Pablo Sandoval will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his right hamstring while sliding.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday that the 2012 World Series MVP has a significant tear requiring surgery. Sandoval was injured while sliding into home plate Sunday against San Diego.

The 31-year-old Sandoval was hitting .248 with nine homers and 40 RBIs.

The Giants’ win may have helped take the sting out of Sandoval’s loss temporarily. Bumgarner (4-4) pitched with runners on in every inning, yet limited the Diamondbacks to a run on seven hits. He stranded nine runners and struck out five.

Evan Longoria hit a solo homer off Greinke (12-6) and San Francisco broke open a close games five runs in the eighth inning. Austin Slater had two RBIs and scored three times for the Giants, who have won four straight.

Greinke gave up two runs on four hits and struck five in six innings to lose for the first time in nine starts.

Arizona’s David Peralta had four hits after missing the previous two games with right shoulder tightness.

Greinke, NL pitcher of the month for July, went 7-0 with a 1.53 ERA and 53 strikeouts in eight starts since June 18.

The right-hander had been using his slow curveball effectively this season, but Longoria took advantage of one in the first inning, hooking a 69 mph pitch just inside the foul pole in left for a solo homer.

Bumgarner escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, thanks to a diving catch by Longoria at third with one out. He allowed a sacrifice fly in the second to work through more traffic, then stranded runners at second and third the next inning.

Bumgarner helped himself with a run-scoring single in the fifth inning off Greinke and pinch hitter Hunter Pence put the Giants up 3-1 with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

DIAMONDBACKS MOVES

Arizona optioned RHP Silvino Bracho to Triple-A Reno to make room for the return of RHP Brad Ziegler. The Diamondback brought back their former closer in a trade-deadline deal with the Miami Marlins.

TRAINER’S TABLE

Diamondbacks: 3B Jake Lamb opted to have season-ending surgery on his left shoulder to repair fraying of the rotator cuff. He was not in pain, but the damage limited his ability to swing a bat.