BASEBALL/Taiwan's Teng shines despite Giants' 8-1 loss to D-Backs

Taipei, Sept. 16 (CNA) San Francisco Giants pitcher Teng Kai-wei (鄧愷威) impressed against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday despite an 8-1 loss in the opener of the team's nine-game road trip.

Teng, the only Taiwanese pitcher currently active in Major League Baseball (MLB), struck out five while allowing two hits and one walk over four innings at Chase Field to finish with a no decision, as the teams were tied 1-1 when he finished his outing.

He surrendered the lone run of his outing in the bottom of the first, which began with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and two strikeouts.

Diamondbacks leadoff hitter Geraldo Perdomo advanced to third on a passed ball by catcher Patrick Bailey and scored on Teng's throwing error during a pickoff attempt.

Teng ended the first with his third strikeout and allowed only two more baserunners -- both on singles -- in the third and fourth innings. He avoided a potential loss in the third thanks to Casey Schmitt's solo shot to center off Zac Gallen.

Gallen gave up no further runs, earning his 12th win of the season with a two-hit, six-inning start.

The Taiwanese right-hander's ERA dipped to 6.41 after the outing, which was highlighted by two strikeouts of Diamondbacks Taiwanese-American star Corbin Carroll.

Carroll, born to a Taiwanese mother, won the 2023 Rookie of the Year award and is a two-time All-Star. He went 1-for-4 Monday, hitting a leadoff double in the sixth that sparked a decisive six-run inning for Arizona.

With the victory, the 76-75 Diamondbacks moved 0.5 games ahead of the 75-75 Giants in the National League West, putting San Francisco in a tougher spot as the wild-card race tightens.

The New York Mets, who hold the third National League wild-card berth at 77-73, were idle Monday, while the Cincinnati Reds tied the Giants' record with an 11-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.