Pence, Span help Giants sink Pirates
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Coming into Friday night’s game, the San Francisco Giants had scored 311 runs this season, the fourth-lowest total in the majors.
They didn’t look like it against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Hunter Pence drove in five runs and the Giants pounced on Pittsburgh starter Gerrit Cole for seven runs then added six more against the bullpen to rout the Pirates 13-5.
It all started at the top, as leadoff man Denard Span started the game with a solo home run and then went on to finish 4 for 5 with four runs scored.
Batting second, Joe Panik went 3 for 5 with a run and an RBI and Pence had three hits as the Giants’ first three hitters went a combined 10 for 14.
“This is a small sample here, but it shows you what happens when you get timely hits,” San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. “You have a much better chance of winning the ballgame. We’re getting a ton of them right now. It’s getting contagious.”
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 RBIs.
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.
“It was just very difficult to get on my groove, but I’m very thankful for my teammates to pick me up and score runs for me to get a win today,” Cueto said through an interpreter.
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 ⁄ innings.
Braves 3, Athletics 1 OAKLAND – Mike Foltynewicz lost his no-hit bid for Atlanta when Matt Olson clobbered a full-count pitch into the elevated right-field seats leading off the ninth inning of the Braves’ interleague victory over Oakland.
Trying for just the major leagues’ second no-hitter of the season, Foltynewicz (6-5) struck out eight and walked four while pitching into the ninth for the first time and outdueling Sonny Gray. The Braves have 14 no-hitters, the last by Kent Mercker at the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 8, 1994.
Foltynewicz capped baseball’s homerun heavy June with a career-best 119pitch gem. He baffled the A’s with fastballs at up to 97 mph.
And there wasn’t even a close defensive play on this night for the 25-yearold right-hander, a four-year veteran making his 52nd big league start.
Gray (3-4) retired his final 14 batters.