Redemption for Pagan as Cueto wins his 11th

What was probably the tweet of the night came from the great Andrew Baggarly of the Bay Area News Group, who suggested the Giants’ hitters might be tempted to avoid Madison Bumgarner on the bus ride back to the hotel.

One night after Bumgarner threw eight innings of one-run ball and lost due to non-support, the Giants erupted for 22 hits Tuesday in a 15-4 drubbing of Pittsburgh that looked even better before the bullpen got ahold of it.

Bumgarner would have enjoyed that stroke yesterday, Angel. (AP Photo)

The beneficiary of this offensive largess was Johnny Cueto, who became the first Giant to post 11 wins within his first 15 decisions since “Big Daddy” Rick Rueschel did so in 1989. Cueto threw 6 2/3 innings, limiting the Pirates to a run on four hits while striking out six. He’s won his last eight decisions, a personal best.

Cueto gave up a game-opening double to John Jaso, who hasn’t been told the Bo Derek look was done in 1979, then proceeded to mow the Pirates down. Pittsburgh threw spot starter Wilfredo Boscan into the fray and he seemed to be in complete control for the first three innings, matching Cueto zero for zero. Ah, but that blew up in the top of the fourth.

The Giants had their biggest inning of the season, scoring seven times to run off and hide with the game. The G-men batted around before recording the inning’s first out. The big hit in that inning came from a guy who surely needed it.

Uh, Mr. Peabody, can you set the Wayback Machine for Monday night?

I can't count to 11 with this glove on. (AP Photo)

Unless you were more successful that we in blocking it out, the lone run against Bumgarner came when Angel Pagan’s leaping attempt at a home run ball looked successful; right up to the point where Pagan dropped it. He was not a happy camper. Back to Tuesday, and Pagan’s chance at redemption.

Is started innocently (so did “Hostel”), when Joe Panik dropped a soft single into center. Brandon Belt doubled and Buster Posey walked to load the bases. As Brandon Crawford stepped to the plate, the Pirates broadcast dredged up tape of a Crawford grand slam at PNC Park.  Crawford worked an epic 11-pitch walk to drive in the game’s first run.

There was no such concern about the guy up next. Mistake. Pagan went big fly, a mammoth shot over the ketchup bottle in right center. It was ambush hitting, Pagan jumping on a first-pitch fastball from a guy desperate for a strike. Boscan would have been better off chucking the pitch into the dugout.

It was 5-0 and the Giants were just getting warmed up. Gregor Blanco doubled, and Conor Gillaspie turned around a pitch that likely registered on Doppler radar at the airport if not on satellite at NORAD. Boscan was gone but the Giants would put the next two men on (Cueto walked and Denard Span singled) before a fly ball and double play got Pittsburgh out of the inning.

Step back one. Cueto walked. On four pitches. He had to be told it was ball four. His adventure on the base paths, including a head-first dive into second base when he almost rounded the bag too far, probably had Manager Bruce Bochy searching for a sedative. For old-timers, it was like having Atlee Hammaker back again.

Gillaspie, who looks to get the lion’s share of innings at third while Matt Duffy recuperates, had a breakout night with four hits in five trips, driving in four runs and scoring a pair. He helped the Giants put up a picket fence with single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Hey, that’s only 10 runs. What the…?

Oh, the eighth. Yeah, that was Elephant man ugly. Ramiro Pena (everyone got a letter on this night) tripled with two out. Jarrett Parker singled him home. After a Blanco single, Gillaspie added an RBI single and Trevor Brown doubled in two. Span doubled and two more came home. That’s 15, right? We lost track.

Atlee Hammaker would be proud. (SF Giants via Twitter)

Of course, there’s always a bitter pill. The San Francisco bullpen was abysmal, but if they were gonna suck this was the night to do it. The Pirates got a run in the seventh, two in the eighth and another in the ninth off three hurlers who were clearly already on the bus. Javy Lopez walked two, George Kontos surrendered two runs on two hits (one left the yard) and Chris Stratton allowed a run on three hits. Hopefully they got it out of their systems.

Back to the good stuff.

Gillaspie’s four hits led the attack but 11 different Giants hit safely. Span and Blanco each had three-hit games while Belt, Posey, Parker, and Pena had two hits each.

The win allowed the Giants (45-27) to maintain a 5 ½-game NL West lead over Los Angeles, which rallied to beat Washington and has won five straight. No one else in the division is within single digits. With 45 percent of the season in the rear view, the Giants are on pace for 101 wins. If they ever get healthy....

Game three of the four-game set is Wednesday as Jeff Samardzija (8-4, 3.14 ERA), coming off a complete-game win at Tampa Bay, opposes one-time Giants’ prospect Francisco Liriano (4-7, 5.03 ERA).

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