Giants 5 - 2 Diamondbacks
Final
  for this game

Giants hope to keep swinging a hot bat versus Diamondbacks

Jun 15, 2011 - 2:53 PM

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(Sports Network) - A rare barrage of runs enabled the San Francisco Giants to gain some breathing room ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the NL West lead. The defending World Series champions aim to duplicate that effort again tonight in the second portion of a three-game series with the D'Backs.

San Francisco took last night's series opener by a 6-5 margin and hasn't scored that many runs in a game since a 12-7 drubbing of St. Louis on June 2. It pushed its lead atop the division to 1 1/2 games over the Diamondbacks even though winning pitcher Matt Cain was reached for five runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings. Brian Wilson walked two in the ninth before settling down to notch his 19th save.

"With the guys scoring five, six runs, I tried to keep making good pitches and I didn't do that the last couple innings," Cain admitted.

Cody Ross had two doubles and a pair of runs driven in, while Pablo Sandoval and Nate Schierholtz each had an RBI for the Giants, who have won two straight, three of four and nine of their last 13 games. Sandoval was recently activated off of the disabled list because of a broken bone in his hand that required surgery.

The Giants, who will also visit Oakland for three games on this six-game road trip, hope to give Madison Bumgarner some run support when he toes the rubber this evening. They have scored a total of one run over his last two starts. Bumgarner has dropped back-to-back starts and fell to 2-8 in 13 trips to the mound in last Thursday's 3-0 setback versus Cincinnati.

Bumgarner threw seven innings of one-run ball and struck out seven batters to suffer the tough-luck loss. He has allowed no more than three runs in each of his previous 10 starts and will take on the D'Backs for the sixth time in his career. Over the first five appearances (4 starts), the lefty is 2-0 with a 2.28 earned run average.

Arizona had won three straight and four of five games before losing Tuesday's series opener. Starter Josh Collmenter was tagged for five runs and eight hits in five innings to absorb the loss for the D'Backs, who opened a six-game homestand on a sour note.

"He wasn't able to locate," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said of his starter. "They grinded him out a little bit."

Miguel Montero clubbed a three-run homer and Justin Upton finished with two hits and an RBI for Arizona. The ballclub will also host the Chicago White Sox on the residency.

Joe Saunders will try to get back in the win column tonight after having a personal three-start winning streak come to an end in Friday's 6-4 loss at Florida. He was reached for five runs and 10 hits in six innings, falling to 3-6 with a 4.56 ERA in 13 trips to the hill.

Saunders squared off with San Francisco for the first time in his career in a 5-3 loss on April 16. The lefty surrendered five runs and 12 hits through 6 2/3 innings. He is 2-2 in seven home starts this season.

San Francisco has won six of seven matchups with Arizona this season and swept a three-game series at AT&T Park from May 10-12. The Giants are 19-4 in the past 23 meetings with the D'Backs.






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