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Sanchez, Burrell, Huff homer, SF beats Blue Jays

Jun 20, 2010 - 10:20 PM TORONTO(AP) -- Freddy Sanchez couldn't even remember his last home run. The drought had gone on so long, his San Francisco teammates had been teasing him about it.

Not any more.

Sanchez, Pat Burrell and Aubrey Huff homered Sunday and the Giants beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-6 for their first win at an AL ballpark this season.

Sanchez hit a three-run homer off the left field foul screen in the sixth, ending a stretch of 196 at-bats without a home run since last Aug. 4.

"It's about time," Huff joked. "He's been complaining that he has no pop, no pop. He's got pop, but it's got to be right down the line. That was a big one, man."

Sanchez was worried the drive would land foul, but it hit high off the screen and bounced back onto the field.

"It looked like it was going to keep hooking and hooking and at the last second it just faded back," he said.

The second baseman said he had no memory of his last homer, which came off Houston's Wesley Wright.

"I can't even remember," Sanchez said. "That was just too long ago."

Sanchez was the only Giants regular without a home run entering play Sunday.

"Coming up with a big hit there feels good," Sanchez said. "I fell behind early, I was down 0-2. At that point I was just trying to battle to get something out there, get the runner in from third. Fortunately enough I was able to get a pitch to hit."

The Giants had been 0-5 in interleague road games until winning the series finale.

"That's our first one?" manager Bruce Bochy asked. "I'm going to have a little champagne on the plane."

Burrell added a two-run shot. He has three homers in 41 at-bats since signing with the Giants; he hit only two homers in 84 at-bats before being cut by Tampa Bay.

"Today was a confidence booster for the next series as far as getting the offense back on track," Burrell said.

Denny Bautista (1-0) pitched 2 1-3 innings of scoreless relief for the win. Brian Wilson got the final out for his 19th save.

"What a job the 'pen did," Bochy said. "Bautista, he won that game for us."

Toronto's John McDonald hit a two-run homer off Jeremy Affeldt in the ninth, his first. It was an emotional Father's Day drive for the light-hitting McDonald, whose father, Jack, died of cancer last week. Before he died, he told his son to hit his next home run in his honor.

"I think (the homer) was for both of us," McDonald said, tears welling in his eyes. "The fact I got it out of the way quick was nice. I told him they're not that easy to hit."

The Blue Jays took an early 2-0 lead against Jonathan Sanchez, who walked five in 2 2-3 innings, his shortest start of the season. An error by third baseman Juan Uribe set up John Buck's two-run single on a checked swing in the second.

Huff hit a solo homer, his 12th, into the second deck in the third. Buck's RBI single chased Sanchez in the bottom half.

The Giants cut it to 3-2 with an unearned run in the fourth off Shaun Marcum. Third baseman Edwin Encarnacion's wild throw led to the run.

Marcum allowed two runs, one earned, and four hits in five innings. He walked five, one intentional, and struck out eight.

San Francisco rallied for five runs in the sixth against Brian Tallet (1-3). Andres Torres hit an RBI single, Sanchez homered and Juan Uribe capped it with an RBI double.

Tallet threw 26 pitches and saw his ERA rise from 4.99 to 6.39.

Burrell made it 9-3 with a home run in the eighth off reliever David Purcey.

Jose Bautista followed McDonald's ninth-inning shot with an RBI double before Wilson came on to end it by striking out Lyle Overbay.

NOTES: Toronto optioned Encarnacion to Triple-A Las Vegas following the game and recalled INF Jarett Hoffpauir. ... San Francisco 3B Pablo Sandoval was held out of the starting lineup. ... Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said OF Travis Snider, out since May 15 with a sore right wrist, will likely be sidelined until after the All-Star break. ... Toronto traded Triple-A OF Jorge Padilla to the New York Mets for a player to be named.