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Sandoval, Pence power Giants past Astros

Aug 31, 2012 - 6:29 AM Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence each drove in two runs as the San Francisco Giants took an 8-4 win over the Houston Astros to cap a three-game sweep.

Brandon Belt went 4-for-5 with an RBI while Marco Scutaro added two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Giants, who have won eight of their last 10 games.

Ryan Vogelsong (12-7) won his second straight start as he gave up four runs on seven hits with a walk and seven strikeouts over six innings. He also had a hit and scored a run.

Matt Dominguez finished a homer short of the cycle and scored a run while Tyler Greene hit a solo homer for the Astros, who are mired in a slump that has seen them drop 12 of their last 13 games.

Jordan Lyles was charged with three runs on seven hits in just five innings of work for Houston. Fernando Rodriguez (1-9) gave up three runs in an inning of work to take the loss.

Houston scored in each of the first three innings to take a 4-0 lead, but San Francisco took over from the fifth inning on.

In the fifth, Gregor Blanco led off with a single and moved to third on a Vogelsong single two batters later. Angel Pagan then doubled home Blanco and Scutaro followed with a single to plate Vogelsong. Sandoval's sac fly made it a 4-3 game.

The Giants took the lead in the seventh. Scutaro doubled with two outs and Sandoval tied the game when he followed with a single. An intentional walk to Buster Posey was followed by a wild pitch that put both runners in scoring position. Pence then singled to center for a 6-4 advantage.

Joaquin Arias homered to leadoff the eighth and Belt's RBI double in the ninth gave the Giants an 8-4 edge.

An RBI double from Jason Castro followed by a run-scoring single off the bat of Jimmy Paredes in the first staked Houston to a 2-0 lead.

Bogusevic's sacrifice fly in the second and a leadoff homer from Greene in the third gave the Astros a 4-0 advantage.

Game Notes

The Giants took eight of the nine games against the Astros this season...San Francisco begins a three-game set in Chicago on Friday...The Astros host the Reds for three game beginning on Friday...Vogelsong improved to 3-2 against the Astros.