Sweep ends home stand at break-even

Less than 24 hours after Johnny Cueto's mound gem the Giants got, politely said, less than thrilling pitching. It didn't matter. San Francisco scored early, scored often (how cliche) and rolled San Diego 13-9 to complete a three-game sweep of the Padres.

The Giants finished the 10-game home stand at 5-5, not exactly what they'd hoped for going in but a minor miracle having dropped games one through four. Winning five of six puts the G-Men back above the .500 mark at 12-11. More importantly, San Francisco draws within a half a game of division-leading Los Angeles, which lost it's third straight to Miami in the unofficial "Don Mattingly says 'Bite Me' Series at Chavez Latrine.

We'll get this guy out for ya. Is that Lou Brown? (Getty Images)

It wasn't a exactly scrapbook outing for Jeff Samardija, who moved to 3-1. A solid start turned rocky in a hurry but some big offense in the middle frames put him in line for the win despite allowing five runs in 5 2/3 innings.

'The Shark' only allowed five hits but they were grouped in Hudson-esque fashion to give the Padres a brief lead before San Francisco's bats blew up like Kirstie Alley after she lost the Jenny Craig endorsement deal. He did, probably, earn some freebies to see "Finding Dory". After all, ninety million doesn't buy what it used to.

The Giants scored in the first on an unusual though not unsurprising rally.

An error, walk and single loaded the bags with nobody out, and sac flies from the Brandons scored two. Yep, that's a Giants rally these days. Fortunately for the home crowd, Hunter Pence delivered a third run in honest fashion. His drive down the right field line eluded a diving Matt Kemp for an RBI triple.

San Diego outfielders were mindful of AT&T's expensive gaps throughout the series, exposing the lines. Kemp finally got burned, and it wouldn't be the last time the Padres' defensive tactic would come into play.

Friars starter Andrew Cashner needed 34 pitches to get through the inning as the Giants showed patience. It's becoming a trend. The free-swinging Giants of the past have given way to a team that, whether it scored or not, makes starting pitchers grind -- often setting up future opportunities.

San Diego fought back, with interest, in the third; Jemile Weeks' RBI triple high off the bricks and Kemp's two-run bomb being the key plays in a four-run uprising. The early momentum was gone, and the Padres had needed just one inning to equal their run total from the previous 20 ...at which point San Diego went stupid. 

We hate overshifts. We'll bet right now the Padres aren't fond of them either. Matt Duffy went against the alignment, getting the rare triple to an unattended left field. When the Padres failed to adjust against Brandon Belt, he beat the shift for a two-bagger that knotted the score.

No  homer? What a lousy day! (Michael Macor, The Chronicle)

Cashner was gone after 88 pitches, leaving the bags loaded for Mike Kirkman. The Shark bit him, dumping a two-run single in on his first offering. The Giants had answered, taking a 6-4 lead, and the rout was on.

The Giants would build that edge to 13-5, scoring four in the fourth, two in the fifth and another in the sixth. San Diego put up token protest with a run in the sixth and Wil Myers' three-run jack in the seventh off of Steven Okert -- one of five relievers employed. Oh, there was a Padre run in the ninth but Adam Rosales' homer impacted nothing except Mike Broadway's ERA.

Belt, Pence and Matt Duffy all had three-hit days but Belt was the star. He lacked just the round-tripper for the cycle and drove in five runs. He also scored a pair while pumping his average over the .300 mark.  Pence drove in two and scored twice, and both Duffy and Joe Panik crossed the plate on three occasions. In all, seven Giants hit safely.

There's a much-needed day off on Thursday as the Giants wing it to the East Coast. It's just their second day off of the season and they get to spend it in a pressurized tube. Nice. It precedes a quick two-city roadie with three-gamers in New York and Cincy.

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