Stanton closes in on homers in consecutive games streak

MIAMI — All eyes are on Giancarlo Stanton and he keeps delivering.

Baseball’s $325-million man homered in his sixth consecutive game to give him a major league-leading 44, but the Miami Marlins fell 9-4 to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night.

“Obviously very dangerous right now,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.

Stanton hit a solo shot to deep leftcentre field off Madison Bumgarner (3-5) in the third inning, tying the game at 2.

“It was a matchup a lot of baseball fans and us in the game look forward to,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “Bumgarner won’t back down but [Stanton] got him.”

Stanton has 11 homers in his last 12 games, and 23 in the last 35. Only Sammy Sosa (25 in 1998) and Barry Bonds (24 in 2001) have hit more in that span, according to Elias.

“I’ve never even heard anything like this before with what he’s doing,” Marlins catcher A.J. Ellis said. “And the fact to be able to see it, it’s a great moment for all of us . ... The fact that he’s delivering when the expectations are there speaks to how locked in he is and how dedicated he is to find the right pitches. It’s pretty special to watch and we all hope it keeps going.”

Stanton is two games from tying the major league record of hitting a home run in eight straight set by Dale Long (1956), Mattingly (1987), and Ken Griffey Jr. (1993).