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Giants erupt for 19 runs, sweep DH with Cubs

Jun 29, 2011 - 6:48 AM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Perhaps tired of scratching out wins, the Giants woke up their bats Tuesday for 30 hits and 19 runs to sweep a doubleheader in Chicago.

The Cubs would have preferred they hit the snooze button.

Nate Schierholtz knocked in two runs, including the go-ahead RBI single in a five-run fifth inning, and San Francisco rolled to a 6-3 victory in the nightcap to extend its winning streak to a season-high seven games.

Busting out offensively, the Giants set season-highs in runs scored and hits in a 13-7 win in the opener.

Barry Zito (1-1) pitched for the first time in more than two months and earned his first win since last September 19, throwing seven innings in the second game and giving up just two runs on four hits.

Lou Montanez hit a two-run homer and Aramis Ramirez had a solo shot for the Cubs, who dropped to 3-8 in their last 11 games.

San Francisco's five-run rally in the fifth knocked Cubs starter Rodrigo Lopez (0-2) out of the game.

The rally came with a bit of controversy, however, after home plate umpire Tim McClelland changed his call on a potential inning-ending double play.

Pablo Sandoval broke his bat on a fly ball to center field that scored Andres Torres to tie the game at 2-2. Reed Johnson's throw beat Torres home, but catcher Geovany Soto dropped the ball after blocking the plate and applying the tag.

Soto walked towards the dugout, unaware that McClelland changed his call. The run stood up after the umpires got together to discuss the play.

Cubs manager Mike Quade thought -- and replays showed he might have been right -- that Soto dropped the ball only as he moved to show McClelland he had possession of it. Soto was charged with an error on the play.

"It's almost like the ball came out after the fact," Quade said. "You want to present the guy and show the guy the ball. I thought he held it long enough."

The Giants tacked on four more runs to take a 6-2 lead, starting with consecutive singles by Aubrey Huff and Cody Ross that chased Lopez.

Schierholtz greeted John Grabow with his go-ahead RBI single and Brandon Crawford followed with a two-run double off the left field wall. Eli Whiteside singled home Crawford with the Giants' fifth straight hit and Zito walked for their sixth straight baserunner. Torres popped out to end the inning.

The Giants, after smacking a 18 hits in the opener, tacked on 12 more in the nightcap to win the first two games of the four-game series.

Zito was activated off the disabled list over the weekend for his first start since April 16. The 33-year-old lefty had been sidelined by a sprained right foot.

"It looked like he didn't miss a beat," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

San Francisco scored first when Ross led off the second inning with a double and Schierholtz followed with an RBI single to center.

The Cubs took a 2-1 lead on Montanez's first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the third inning that scored Alfonso Soriano after a leadoff single.

They scored their only other run on Ramirez's leadoff homer in the ninth inning against Guillermo Mota. Javier Lopez came in and walked Carlos Pena before the Giants turned to closer Brian Wilson, who got three straight outs for his 24th save.

Game Notes

Zito improved to 2-3 in seven starts against the Cubs...San Francisco's winning streak comes on the heels of five straight losses...Lopez, who was making his second start of the season, gave up four runs (one earned) on eight hits in his 4 2/3 innings.