Giants stomp Pirates 13-5
PITTSBURGH – Hunter Pence drove in four runs and the San Francisco Giants pounced on Pittsburgh starter Gerrit Cole for seven runs then added six more against the bullpen to rout the Pirates 13-5 on Friday night.
Leadoff man Denard Span went 4 for 5 with a home run and scored four times, Joe Panik went 3 for 5 with a run and an RBI and Pence went 3 for 4 as the top of the Giants’ lineup erupted offensively.
Trailing by a run entering the fourth, the Giants rattled off five straight hits in that inning to score three runs, then added five more on four hits in the sixth. Buster Posey and Brandon Belt each had two-run doubles in that rally. Belt added a solo homer in the eighth and finished with four RBI.
Johnny Cueto (6-7) fought through seven hits to get the win. After giving up three runs in the first, he settled down to hold the Pirates scoreless over his final four innings.
Cole (6-7) had seven strikeouts but gave up 10 hits. He dealt with an elevated pitch count all night and took 114 to get through 5 1/3 innings.
Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 2, walked and reached on a hit by pitch, but left the game in the seventh inning after fouling a pitch off his foot. He completed the at-bat, singled, and then was lifted for a pinch-runner.
Giants third baseman Ryder Jones entered the game in the sixth and recorded his first major league hit in the eighth on a single to center field. Relief pitcher Dan Slania made his major league debut in the ninth.
Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner (bruised ribs and left shoulder AC sprain) pitched in his second rehab start with Triple-A Sacramento. Bumgarner had thrown three innings in his first rehab start. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since April 19. … 3B Eduardo Nunez (hamstring strain) will go on a two-game rehab assignment with Double-A Richmond.
Pirates: C Francisco Cervelli (post-concussion symptoms) caught, ran and hit before the game. He remains day-to-day. He’s been on the seven-day DL since June 22.
Giants: LHP Matt Moore (3-8, 6.04 ERA) will start today. The Giants are 4-12 when Moore starts this season.
Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (2-6, 5.58 ERA) will attempt to snap a streak of 12 consecutive starts of five innings or less.