PHOENIX (AP) — Christian Koss hit a two-run double in a five-run 11th inning, and the San Francisco Giants spoiled a nine-inning, one-hit start by Arizona's Brandon Pfaadt, beating the Diamondbacks 5-1 on Wednesday to end a four-game skid.
The Giants (76-76) moved within two games of the Mets, who lost to San Diego later Wednesday, for the final National League wild card, while the Diamondbacks (77-76) remained 1 1/2 games behind New York.
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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Justin Verlander throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Diamondbacks' Geraldo Perdomo, left, checks his swing on a high pitch as San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey reaches for the ball during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
San Francisco Giants' Jerar Encarnacion connects for a run-scoring single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the 11th inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt throws against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Pfaadt didn’t allow a hit until rookie Drew Gilbert’s one-out single in the sixth. Heliot Ramos hit into a double play two pitches later. The right-hander struck out seven and walked one, throwing 65 of 97 pitches for strikes in the longest of his 81 big league starts.
The Giants' Justin Verlander allowed three hits and walked two, throwing 107 pitches in seven scoreless innings. Verlander has allowed just three runs over his last five starts covering 31 innings for a 0.87 ERA.
After rookie Joel Peguero (3-0) worked a scoreless 10th for the Giants, Bryce Elkridge walked leading off the 11th against John Curtiss (3-2) and Jerar Encarnacion singled for the Giants' second hit to make it 1-0. Patrick Bailey singled to load the bases and Koss' double made it 3-0.
Juan Morillo replaced Curtiss and surrendered a sacrifice fly to Grant McCray and an RBI single to Rafael Devers.
Peguero allowed the automatic runner to score on a sacrifice fly in the bottom half before closing it out.
Arizona' Corbin Carroll hit his 17th triple to extend his major league lead with one out in the ninth off Ryan Walker, who loaded the bases before striking out pinch-hitter Adrian Del Castillo and retiring Alek Thomas on a comebacker.
Carroll has 30 homers and needs one stolen base to become the first Diamondback in the 30-30 club.
Giants RHP Logan Webb (14-10, 3.34 ERA) starts Thursday at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Diamondbacks host Philadelphia for three games beginning Friday.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Justin Verlander throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Diamondbacks' Geraldo Perdomo, left, checks his swing on a high pitch as San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey reaches for the ball during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
San Francisco Giants' Jerar Encarnacion connects for a run-scoring single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the 11th inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt throws against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado comes to the White House on Thursday to discuss her country's future with President Donald Trump even after he publicly dismissed her credibility to take over after an audacious U.S. military raid captured then-President Nicolás Maduro.
Trump has raised doubts about his stated commitment to backing democratic rule in Venezuela. His administration has signaled its willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro’s vice president and, along with others in the deposed leader’s inner circle, remains in charge of day-to-day governmental operations.
In endorsing Rodríguez so far, Trump has sidelined Machado, who has long been a face of resistance in Venezuela and sought to cultivate relationships with Trump and key administration voices like Secretary of State Marco Rubio among the American right wing in a gamble to ally herself with the U.S. government.
The White House says Machado sought the face-to-face meeting with Trump without setting expectations for what would occur. Her party is widely believed to have won 2024 elections rejected by Maduro. Machado previously offered to share with Trump the Nobel Peace Prize she won last year, an honor he has coveted.
Machado plans to have a meeting at the Senate following her lunch with Trump, who has called her “a nice woman” while indicating they might not touch on major issues in their talks Thursday.
Her Washington swing began after U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says had ties to Venezuela. It is part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil after U.S. forces seized Maduro and his wife at a heavily guarded compound in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and brought them to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges.
The White House says Venezuela has been fully cooperating with the Trump administration since Maduro’s ouster.
Rodríguez, the acting president, herself has adopted a less strident position toward Trump and his “America First” policies toward the Western Hemisphere, saying she plans to continue releasing prisoners detained under Maduro — a move thought to have been made at the behest of the Trump administration. Venezuela released several Americans this week.
Trump, a Republican, said Wednesday that he had a “great conversation” with Rodríguez, their first since Maduro was ousted.
“We had a call, a long call. We discussed a lot of things,” Trump said during an Oval Office bill signing. “And I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela.”
Even before indicating the willingness to work with Venezuela's interim government, Trump was quick to snub Machado. Just hours after Maduro's capture, Trump said of Machado that “it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.”
Machado has steered a careful course to avoid offending Trump, notably after winning last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, which Trump wanted to win himself. She has since thanked Trump. Her offer to share the peace prize with him was rejected by the Nobel Institute.
Machado’s whereabouts have been largely unknown since she went into hiding early last year after being briefly detained in Caracas. She briefly reappeared in Oslo, Norway, in December after her daughter received the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf.
The industrial engineer and daughter of a steel magnate began challenging the ruling party in 2004, when the nongovernmental organization she co-founded, Súmate, promoted a referendum to recall then-President Hugo Chávez. The initiative failed, and Machado and other Súmate executives were charged with conspiracy.
A year later, she drew the anger of Chávez and his allies again for traveling to Washington to meet President George W. Bush. A photo showing her shaking hands with Bush in the Oval Office lives in the collective memory. Chávez considered Bush an adversary.
Almost two decades later, she marshaled millions of Venezuelans to reject Chávez’s successor, Maduro, for another term in the 2024 election. But ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared him the winner despite ample credible evidence to the contrary. Ensuing anti-government protests ended in a brutal crackdown by state security forces.
Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela, and Janetsky from Mexico City. AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
FILE - U.S. President George Bush, right, meets with Maria Corina Machado, executive director of Sumate, a non-governmental organization that defends Venezuelan citizens' political rights, in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, May 31, 2005. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
FILE - Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures to supporters during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro the day before his inauguration for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, file)
