Homestand concludes with victory, comedy

Have you ever watched a T-ball game? It was kinda like that, only one of the teams had a lot more practice.

Re-creation of Milwaukee's performance. ILM not involved in SFX preparation

Depending on your point of view, San Francisco's 10-1 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday was either glorious or horrifying. The Giants pounded out 16 hits, the Brewers made four errors, and there may have been discussion about invoking the mercy rule  so both teams could make their getaway-day flights.

As the revolving roster door keeps spitting out victims, the Giants just keep finding ways to win. One of their most successful methods to date has a rather simple formula: send Johnny Cueto to the mound. The Man Of A Thousand Moves chalked up his 10th win of the year. 

Cueto gave up a run on seven hits over seven innings, leaving after 96 pitches because, well, because there was no reason to leave him out there any longer. Milwaukee spent the day with one foot on a cliff, the other on a banana peel, and if someone had thrown them a rope they'd likely have set it on fire. Brewers Jimmy Nelson quickly lost control of the run-away mine car, and the Giants found gold. 

Villlar gets his pocket picked by Cueto. (SF Gate)

As a result, the Giants are the clear front-runner in the NL West at 41-26, six games ahead of Los Angeles; a 3-2 winner at Arizona.

The first serious threat belonged to San Francisco. Heck, all the serious threats belonged to San Francisco. At least there had been a two-inning interlude to find beer and a dog before the fun began, unless you count Cueto picking off Jonathan Villar in the first to be fun (and we do).

The Giants loaded the bags in the third with none out and Buster Posey at the plate. Posey fisted a ball over short, because everything he hits falls in right now, and the Giants had a 2-0 lead. It was vindication for Posey, who had four hits on Tuesday but never got a chance with RISP. His rare day-game-after-a-night-game appearance paid dividends with yet another multi-hit game.

Did we mention there were still no outs? Matt Duffy, who hits Pablo Sandoval's weight at AT&T Park and the weight of an Olsen twin everywhere else, cued one down the line in right and it was 3-0 with runners still on the edges. Angel Pagan struck out but Jarrett Parker walked to load 'em up. That gave Conor Gillaspie, in for the gimpy Brandon Belt, a  chance. His come-backer a started the circus music.

Nelson fielded it with his ribs and came home for a force play. Catcher Martin Maldonado tried to double Gillaspie at first but clipped him with the throw, allowing Duff Man to come around from second and up the lead to 4-0 after three.

Duffy sprint home after a Brewers error. There were many to choose from. (SF Gate)

The G-Men kept piling on. Gregor Blanco doubled over the bag to start the fourth and Joe Panik singled him home. Then things really got weird. Posey got a one-out single because, well, what we said earlier, and that moved Panik to second. Both took off on a pitch that struck out Duffy, but Maldonado made his second error, winging the ball into left to bring home Panik. 

Want more? Okay. Pagan doubled to score two (exit Nelson), Parker drove in another, and the Giants had tallied four times in consecutive innings to lead 8-0.

Cueto would surrender a run on some buzzard's luck in the bottom half of the  frame but Milwaukee was beaten like the morning eggs over at the Java Hut. The Brewers got a hit and a walk off neophyte Chris Stratton while the Giants added a pair of garbage time (where's Katie Nolan/) runs in their last AB thanks to Ramiro Pena's two-run single.

Pena? You can't tell the players around here even with a scorecard.

It was a day to pad one's batting average; Blanco, Panik, Duffy and Pagan all had three-hit days. Posey's pair and the safeties from Parker and Pena completed the slate.

The win was the fifth in a row for the Orange and Black, who ended the homestand at 6-2; a nice  recovery from the Voyage of the Damned road trip that preceded it. San Francisco has Thursday off but takes up the fight again Friday at Tampa where a struggling Jeff Samardzija (7-4, 3.36) squares off with Chris Archer (4-8, 4.61) and the Rays.

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