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Grand debut: Crawford's slam helps Giants down Brewers

May 28, 2011 - 5:37 AM Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - Brandon Crawford started his major league career with a bang, literally.

Crawford's seventh inning grand slam off Shaun Marcum boosted the Giants to a 5-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers to open a three-game series at Miller Park.

Crawford, who missed the beginning of the 2011 campaign with a broken finger sustained during spring training, had his contract purchased from Class A Advanced San Jose on Thursday and he made his big league debut by starting at shortstop on Friday. The 24-year-old changed the game's momentum by blasting a Marcum offering over the wall in right-center field, giving the Giants a 5-3 lead.

Jonathan Lucroy singled in a run in the bottom of the eighth, but left fielder Cody Ross threw a strike to home to cut down Prince Fielder at the plate on the inning-ending play.

Brian Wilson then closed the door, stranding a runner in scoring position to lock down his 14th save of the year.

Tim Lincecum (5-4) lasted seven innings, allowing six hits and three runs to earn the victory, helping the Giants snap a three-game skid.

Marcum (6-2), who had won his last six decisions, allowed six hits and the five runs.

Rickie Weeks belted a two-run homer and drove in three for Milwaukee, which had its season-high six-game winning streak broken.

Aubrey Huff doubled to start the seventh and Nate Schierholtz singled to center. Miguel Tejada walked before Crawford hit the first pitch over the wall.

"I still have the jitters. It was awesome. It felt great," Crawford said. "I was just trying to hit the ball up the middle and got it up in the air. It's still a little bit unbelievable right now. I got the butterflies out right away on defense, which was big."

Crawford became the sixth player to hit a grand slam in their first major league game.

Marco Estrada then came in for Marcum and retired the ensuing three batters. Michael McClendon escaped a two-on jam in the eighth by getting Schierholtz to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Sergio Romo fanned the first two batters in the bottom half, but Ryan Braun walked. Javier Lopez then came in from the bullpen and walked Fielder. Casey McGehee legged out an infield hit when Tejada couldn't come up with a grounder cleanly at shortstop. Lucroy then singled sharply to left to drive in Braun. Fielder was chugging toward the plate, but was well behind the play when the throw reached catcher Eli Whiteside. Fielder went into the catcher just prior to going into a slide and tried unsuccessfully to jar the ball loose.

Pinch-hitter Mark Kotsay singled with two outs in the ninth and pinch-runner Carlos Gomez stole second, but Weeks struck out to end the game.

After Weeks homered in the third, the Brewers extended to a 3-0 lead in the fifth on a close play at the plate. Nyjer Morgan doubled, went to third on a Marcum sacrifice bunt and came home on Week's bouncer back to the mound. Morgan slid to the bottom side of home plate. Giants manager Bruce Bochy argued the call and was immediately ejected by home plate umpire Mike Muchlinski.

Freddy Sanchez singled in Andres Torres in the top of the sixth. Marcum threw a pair of wild pitches in the inning, but then retired Pat Burrell on a fly ball to left to end the inning.

"I didn't consider it at all," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said of possibly taking out Marcum at the time. "He's been our most consistent pitcher."

Game Notes

The Brewers were trying for their first seven-game winning streak since May 12-19, 2009. This was their fourth loss in the last 17 contests...Crawford is the first Giants player to have his first major league hit to be a grand slam since Brian Dallimore on April 30, 2004 vs. Florida. That hit came off Dontrelle Willis...Bobby Bonds is the only other Giant to hit a grand slam for his first major league hit in his MLB debut, June 25, 1968 against the Dodgers...Morgan (fractured left middle finger) was reinstated from the disabled list prior to the game...Milwaukee had a nine-game home winning streak broken.