San Francisco Giants back Jake Peavy in 12-6 win

SAN FRANCISCO -- Jake Peavy didn't have a great game on the mound Saturday night. But he excelled at the plate.

And he didn't even get a hit.

Peavy contributed a key walk to a six-run third inning that featured the ejection of Washington Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty, sending the San Francisco Giants to a 12-6 victory.

The win was the third in a row for the Giants over the Nationals, evening the season series 3-3 after Washington swept a three-game home series in July.

The teams will meet for a seventh and final time in the regular season on Sunday.

With Peavy already having surrendered one of the longest home runs in AT&T Park history and the Giants trailing 2-0, Gonzalez was perfect through two innings on the heels of an eight-inning scoreless effort against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But then Giants second baseman Kelby Tomlinson led off the third with a triple and things reversed in a hurry.

After catcher Hector Sanchez worked a full-count walk, Peavy did the same in an at-bat that began with him trying to bunt.

"It was fun to keep the line moving," said Peavy, who came into the game with a .188 batting average. "I know what that (walking the opposing pitcher) feels like on the other end."

Three pitches later, Gonzalez found himself down 4-2.

First, center fielder Gregor Blanco lined an RBI single and two pitches later third baseman Matt Duffy laced a bases-clearing double, making Gonzalez pay dearly for the two walks.

"That changed the game really," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of Peavy's at-bat. "He competes up there. I'm not going to say he's a great hitter, but he battles."

In between the walk to Peavy and Blanco's hit, McCatty was ejected by home plate umpire Cory Blaser, who had approached the mound to end his visit.

Left fielder Brandon Belt and shortstop Brandon Crawford added RBI singles later in the inning, capping the six-run uprising and ending Gonzalez's night.

"The guys gave me two runs and I took all the momentum out of our hands and gave it back to the Giants," Gonzalez said. "It's tough to swallow. I didn't do anything to help our team. I put us in a hole."

Tomlinson later contributed a two-run double to a three-run fifth against Nationals reliever Tanner Roark that increased San Francisco's advantage to 9-1. The Nationals had intentionally walked Crawford in order to face the rookie with two on and two outs.

"It's fun to do good right there after that," said Tomlinson, who admitted that he'd only been walked intentionally a time or two in his life. "You can't let what they do in front of you affect your at-bat."

Duffy finished with two doubles and four RBIs, Belt and catcher Buster Posey drove in two runs apiece with two hits each, and Blanco scored after each of three singles as the Giants pounded out 13 hits and produced their first double-digit run total since July 10.

Staked to as much as a 9-2 lead, Peavy (3-5) got the win despite allowing five runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.

One of the hits was the loudest of the night. Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond opened the scoring in the second inning with a home run to left field that was measured at 477 feet.

According to the ESPN Home Run Tracker, the shot that cleared the left field bleachers was the longest home run at AT&T Park since at least 2006 and the fourth longest at any park this season.

The homer was Desmond's 15th of the season.

Peavy was pulled during a three-run sixth that got the Nationals within 9-5. He walked three and struck out two.

"It's real satisfying for me to be a part of the offense when the offense was the key to the win," Peavy said. "I really had to grind (on the mound). To come away with a victory on that night is sure a lot better than losing 5-4."

The win was the Giants' 12th in their last 14 home games.

Danny Espinosa also homered for Washington as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning to close the scoring. His 12th home run of the season was the first in his career as a pinch hitter.

Desmond and center fielder Michael Taylor had two hits apiece, and catcher Jose Lobaton delivered a two-run double for the Nationals, who fell to 1-5 on their 10-game trip despite a 10-hit attack.

"It's a loss. We have a lot to play," Nationals manager Matt Williams said after a fifth consecutive loss dropped his club (58-58) to .500 for the first time since they were 15-15 on May 8. "Rock bottom? We're still in the hunt. We have to play better, of course."

Nationals star right fielder Bryce Harper had to leave the game after fouling a pitch off his left foot in the seventh inning. He had earlier singled and walked.

X-rays taken after the game were negative.

Gonzalez (9-5) lasted only 2 2/3 innings, his shortest start since Sept. 14, 2010. He was roughed up for six runs, five hits and two walks. He struck out one.

NOTES: The Giants have scored 14 runs in 11 2/3 innings in the series against Nationals starters RHP Stephen Strasburg, RHP Max Scherzer and LHP Gio Gonzalez. ... The Giants have beaten the Nationals three times in a row for the first time since 2010. ... The Nationals hadn't had back-to-back starters fail to reach the fourth inning since 2011. ... Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty's ejection was the first of his career. ... After being benched Friday night, Nationals OF Jayson Werth returned to the lineup on Saturday batting seventh for the first time since 2010. He had a single and a walk in four plate appearances.