Giants set season highs in runs, hits in 15-4 rout of Pirates

PITTSBURGH - A day after one of their worst offensive games of the season, the San Francisco Giants had their best.

Angel Pagan hit a grand slam during a seven-run fourth inning, Johnny Cueto shut down Pittsburgh into the seventh and the Giants clobbered the Pirates 15-4 on Tuesday night.

Conor Gillaspie also homered during the fourth among his four hits and Gregor Blanco scored three times for San Francisco, which won a night after having an eight-game winning streak snapped in a 1-0 loss to Pittsburgh.

“Whatever happened last night, this is just another game,” Pagan said. “Obviously we were trying to win a ballgame (Monday), but we didn't. Today we just came with a brand new opportunity to go out there and try to put together the best at-bats possible.”

The Giants did plenty of that Tuesday. San Francisco, which also had a five-run eighth inning, had season highs in runs and hits (22).

Every Giants starter reached base at least once; all but Cueto had at least one hit. Brandon Belt and Buster Posey each had two hits and two runs.

Cueto (11-1) moved into a tie for the National League lead in wins by allowing one run on four hits in 6? innings. He extended his career-best winning streak to eight and improved to 19-4 against the Pirates.

“I wasn't aware of the number, but I know that after I lost the (2013) wild-card game against them, I told myself I needed to just concentrate and try to win as many games as I can,” Cueto said.

Recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Indianapolis, Pittsburgh's Wilfredo Boscan (1-1) allowed one baserunner over the first three innings of his first major league start, but did not retire any of the seven batters he faced in the fourth.

Pittsburgh (34-37) has lost 11 of 13 to fall into sixth place in the NL wild-card race.

The first nine Giants who came up in the fourth inning reached base.

After Brandon Crawford drove in the game's first run by drawing an 11-pitch walk, Pagan took the next pitch Boscan threw into the seats in right-center for his third homer of the season and second grand slam of his career.

“I don't know whether the at-bat to Crawford took some steam out of him,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said, “but after that, you walk a guy and the mentality is you have to throw a strike and you throw a strike to a dead-red fastball hitter, the guy has a chance to ambush you.”

After Blanco doubled, Gillaspie homered.

“We finally broke through,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

“It's always good for hitters to get the second look and have a better idea what his ball is doing,”

CATCHER ON MOUND

It got so bad for the Pirates that Erik Kratz, their 36-year-old, third-string catcher, pitched the ninth inning. He allowed two hits but no runs and had a strikeout in what was his second pitching appearance of the season.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Giants 3B Matt Duffy was placed on the disabled list because of a left Achilles strain (OF Mac Williamson was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to take his roster spot). Bochy said Gillaspie would get “the lion's share” of the playing time at third base. Duffy was fitted for a walking boot and Bochy said he would be out for close to three weeks.