Giants bats errupt; Loch Ness Monster sighted

It's been an ice age since the Giants were this hot, and finally the bats were part of it. A late big inning late fueled a tight game turned laugher Tuesday night as San Francisco pounded visiting San Diego 8-2.

The onslaught snapped a 15-game streak in which the Giants' offense scored five runs or less. deite the lack of  firepower, they'd scored just 37 runs in their last 12 contests, it was their 12th win in 13 games and kept them a perfect 8-0 against the Padres in 2016.

Matt Kemp ponders his trade value as Matt Duffy applies the tag. (Getty Images)

At 29-19, the Orange and Black are a season-high 10 games above .500 (like you didn't already do the math), leading The Hated Dodgers by 4 1/2 games and Colorado by six in the NL West chase.

It was another in a lengthening line of strong starts from the rotation, with Jeff Samardzija allowing just one run over 6 2/3 innings to improve to 7-2. And for one of the few occasions during the hot streak, the offense provided the pitching staff a bit of breathing room.

The Giants have also flashed serious leather, and newly-arrived Jarrett Parker joined the act on the third at-bat of the game.

Matt Kemp ripped Samardzija's offering down the left field line. Okay, ON the left field line; as in making a big comic book splat in the center of the painted yellow foul stripe, striking a foot from the top of the wall 339 feet from home plate. It looked like a double, smelled like a double, and had multiple other double-ish attributes. 

(Note: it's totally legit to create a new word by adding "ish" to the end; that rule is from either the Oxford Dictionary or Will Ferrell, we forgot which.)

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Parker, in left for the DL-bound Angel Pagan, played the carom and fired a rope that Joe Panik snagged on the short hop in plenty of time to apply the tag. The Padres brass, reportedly shopping Kemp, wept openly as their product devalued on live television.

The offensively-challenged Giants, averaging an impressive one run per game over the last two, go nights, got their run early. Gregor Blanco scored on Denard Span's one-out single off Andrew Cashner in the third, beating Melvin Upton's throw by an eyelash and a replay monitor. 

The opportunity itself was a bit of a gift. Shortstop Alexei Ramirez broke to cover second on an attempted pick-off of Blanco. Cashner didn't get the message, and Span bounced the unexpected pitch through the just-vacated hole.

The lead evaporated in the sixth because John Jay has ownage on Samardzija. Jay came into the game batting .400 against the Shark but was handcuffed in his first two at-bats, striking out twice. The third duel had a decidedly different result at Jay launched one over the Willie Mays Wall to knot the score 1-1.

Then, "it" happened. Multiple runs in a game? Yep. In an inning? Those have been sighted about as often as the Loch Ness Monster.

Cashner walked Panik to open the Giants sixth, a Cardinal sin. Okay, a Padre sin. Call it whatever, you're not supposed to do that -- especially after a score. 

Gregor Blanco demonstrates the proper technique for not getting thrown out. (AP Photo)

Panik took second on a soft grounder then gave the Giants back the lead when Buster Posey ambushed a first-pitch, just-get-it-over fastball for an RBI double. One out later the long-rumored but seldom-seen crooked number went up on the board when Posey scored on Brandon Crawford's single.

Samardzija flirted with a similar fate in the top of the seventh, surrendering a walk and base hit to put two on with two out before getting the hook. Josh Osich made it worse, misplaying a nubber up the first base line to load bags, then went 3-2 on Alexi Amarista before inducing a groundout that cleared the cue at those AED stations on the concourse.

Samardzija went 6 2/3, striking out seven and waking three on 105 pitches. It was actually a short outing for the new Giant -- he'd averaged 7 1/3 innings per start - fourth in the NL. Slacker. He's s been a big part of the "Please, dear God, don't let the bullpen pitch" philosophy that begat the latest run. In five May starts he's thrown 38 1/3 innings logging a 1.41 ERA.

San Diego didn't score in the eighth but there was more fun, and again it was at Kemp's expense. His drive into triples alley to open the eighth off Cory Gearein sent him to third -- almost. Score it 9-4-5, and Kemp was victimized again. More tears in the Padres front office.

The Giants blew it open in the bottom of the frame. A double and two walks preceded Crawford's three-run double, then Parker launched a mammoth blast to dead center to cap a five-run outburst before reliever Keith Hessler got an out. 

George Kontos allowed one run in ninth-inning mop-up duty gave the Friairs a maudlin consolation prize and produced the 8-2 final.

Each team had nine hits, but the Giants made theirs count. Five of thee safeties came in that explosive eighth frame. Crawford was the big bat, driving in four runs. Crawford, Span and Blanco each had two hits.

One noticeable non-contributor to the pitching renaissance has been Jake Peavy (1-5, 8.21 ERA) will get the caall tomorrow as the Giant look to . He'll get a chance Wednesday afternoon to join the party, taking on James Shields (2-6, 3.07) in the series finale.

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