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Giants vie to keep bats alive in meeting with Marlins

Jul 19, 2014 - 2:32 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The San Francisco Giants hope to keep the bats going when they target a series victory over the Miami Marlins Saturday night.

The Giants posted a 9-1 win over Miami in Friday's opener of a three-game series, as Pablo Sandoval and Brandon Crawford both homered and finished with three RBI. Buster Posey and Michael Morse had three hits apiece for the Giants, who have won two straight, four of six and moved back into first place in the NL West. Los Angeles is also first in the division.

Madison Bumgarner took advantage of the run support and earned the win with six innings of one-run ball and seven strikeouts.

"He was on top of his game. He threw very well," praised Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "The cushion that we had allowed me to give him a break. It couldn't have worked out better. The guys played well today."

San Francisco kicked off its seven-game eastern jaunt in style and have scored 17 runs in the past two games. It will travel to Philadelphia next for four games with the Phillies.

Taking the mound for the Giants Saturday will be Tim Hudson. Since opening his first season with the Giants at 7-2, Hudson is winless (0-4) in his last five trips to the mound. Hudson was hammered for six runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 6-1 loss to Oakland on July 10 and fell to 7-6 with a 2.87 ERA.

The veteran right-hander, who hasn't won since June 12, has pitched well in his career against the Marlins, going 14-4 with a 2.95 ERA in 25 starts.

Miami has lost five in a row and 12 of its last 17 games, and trailed 9-0 early on Friday night. Giancarlo Stanton's solo homer in the sixth inning got the Marlins on the board and Casey McGehee ended with two hits.

Nathan Eovaldi was shelled in the start for the Marlins and gave up eight runs and nine hits in four innings.

"After that (first inning) it was just tough. I made some really good pitches and they got hit," Eovaldi said.

Henderson Alvarez draws the start for the Marlins Saturday and he is 6-4 with a 2.63 ERA. Alvarez was dealt the loss his last time out in a 7-1 defeat at the hands of the New York Mets, who posted six runs and eight hits in five innings off the right-hander.

Alvarez had won his previous four decisions dating back to May 16 and lost for the first time since May 11 at San Diego. Alvarez has a 4-1 record in nine home starts and is 0-1 with a 5.54 ERA in two career starts against San Francisco.

The Marlins and Giants split a four-game set back in May at AT&T Park.