Giants snap six-game losing streak with 12-inning win over Yankees

NEW YORK – Joe Girardi bore the fresh sting of Saturday’s wrenching loss, lamenting the Yankees’ blown chances over 12 long innings.

But the manager is practiced in drawing new lines in the dirt.

“We’ve got to bounce back and find a way to win [today],” Girardi said after a crushing, 2-1 interleague loss to the Giants at Yankee Stadium. “I think (today) is a really big game for us. We’ve got to make up ground.”

On a day when the Yankees received four combined scoreless innings from the Big Three – Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances – the Giants prevailed against Anthony Swarzak (1-1).

Trevor Brown doubled and scored on Mac Williamson’s one-out single, lifting the NL West-leading Giants (58-39) to their first post-All-Star break win after six straight losses.

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Betances had nearly wild-pitched in the go-ahead run in the 11th, air-mailing his first pitch on a would-be intentional walk to Brandon Crawford with the speedy Angel Pagan on third.

With a victory today, the fourth-place Yankees (49-48) would still conclude a critical 10-game homestand at 7-3 – sustaining the hope of an actual pennant race.

And a loss moves them another day closer to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline.

“We know where we’re at. We’ve got to win games,” Brian McCann said. “We’re at that time of year.”

McCann was still kicking himself for his 10th-inning at-bat, popping out with one out and the bases loaded.

“I’ve got to do a better job,” said McCann, who was hoping for at least a fly ball that would’ve scored Aaron Hicks from third to win it. “I got a pitch I liked. I just didn’t hit it hard enough.”

Ivan Nova had pitched well enough to win, lasting seven innings – his longest start of the season – and yielding just one run, Williamson’s game-tying, leadoff homer in the fifth.

Eligible for free agency at season’s end, Nova is 2-0 with a 2.66 ERA over his last four starts.

Nova was aided by his defense in the first two innings, which prevented at least two runs from scoring.

With runners at the corners in the first inning, Buster Posey lined out to Aaron Hicks in medium right field and the Giants did not test Hicks’ rocket arm; Pagan remained at third base. Brandon Crawford followed with a sinking liner to left that Brett Gardner snared with a diving grab.

In the second, ex-Yankee infielder Ramiro Pena’s bid for a two-out, RBI double was turned away when Gardner prevented the ball from going in the gap with a bare-handed grab. Gardner relayed to Didi Gregorius, who gunned down Williamson attempting to score from first base.

Nova escaped from a first-and-third, none out jam in the third by striking out Brandon Belt and getting Posey to ground into a double play.

Giants starter Johnny Cueto needed 117 pitches to navigate six innings. The NL’s starter for this year’s All-Star Game, Cueto gave up just one unearned run and had nine strikeouts, with one walk.

With one out in the fourth, Gregorius poked an infield single and scored as Mark Teixeira – batting No. 7 in the order for the first time since 2012 - followed with a single that skipped past Williamson in right field.

The Yanks collected just three more hits.

“Every game for us is important. We have to come in with (that) mentality every single day,” said Carlos Beltran. As for the possibility that management might decide to sell by Monday’s deadline, “We don’t worry,” Beltran said. “That’s not in our hands. We have to go out and perform.”

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