“We were probably a little underprepared to face him,” Yastrzemski acknowledged. “But he threw really well. You’ve got to give him credit. I think we need to do a better job of sticking to our plan early in games. I think we got away from it a little bit and the game just crept up on us.”

Cecconi’s efficiency provided quite the contrast to the Giants’ starter, Jordan Hicks, who also didn’t allow a hit for three innings but still allowed a run on two walks and used almost triple the pitches (68). He settled in to complete five innings and was in line for the win until Erik Miller allowed the first two batters of the sixth to reach and score.

“I feel like I didn’t start making the pitches I wanted to make until the fourth or fifth,” Hicks said. “Not giving up a hit and still giving up a run, I think that tells the story of what it was today. But at the same time, I found a way to keep us in it and got through five. That was important for me.”

An astute 35,922 on hand recognized the significance of Thairo Estrada’s dribbler toward third base after Cecconi retired the first two hitters of the fifth. The volume rising as he raced down the first base line, Estrada beat the throw from Eugenio Suarez by half a step to give the Giants their first hit of the game.

Five pitches later, the Giants had broken through in the run column, too.

Working a 3-1 count, Yastrzemski whacked a changeup over the outer half of the plate and pulled it into the air above right field. Leaving the bat at 95.5 mph, the pop fly caught just enough of the jetstream blowing out to McCovey Cove to carry an estimated 335 feet, just beyond the Levi’s Landing sign, to give the Giants a brief 2-1 lead.

Coming up with runners on second and third and two outs in the seventh after Arizona pulled ahead again, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo opted to intentionally walk Yastrzemski, loading the bases. Melvin countered with Jorge Soler, pinch-hitting for shortstop Nick Ahmed, but he bounced out to third, ending the threat.

Signed to be a run producer in the middle of their order, Soler has six RBIs in 23 games — tied for seventh on the team — and two hits with 18 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

“Obviously I put him up there,” Melvin said, reiterating his confidence in the designated hitter they guaranteed $42 million this winter. “You sign him for a reason. I felt like it was a good spot for him.”

The Diamondbacks extended their lead in the ninth against Nick Avila, after Scheurwater, the home plate umpire, ruled that Kevin Newman had fouled off a would-be strike three, prolonging the at-bat. Newman eventually poked a double into left field, leading to two more runs.

Melvin was ejected protesting the call, the second time he has been given an early exit this season.

“It was strike three,” Melvin said. “It’s an out instead of a hit and a run. It looked to me just from the naked eye, but I’m not an umpire.”

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