Pagan 9th Inning 3-Run Homer Leads Giants Over Cincinnati, 6-5
CINCINNATI (CBS/AP) -- Angel Pagan hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning, lifting the San Francisco Giants to a 6-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday.
Joaquin Arias led off the ninth against Cincinnati closer Sean Marshall (0-2) with a walk, and Ryan Theriot followed with a single. After pinch-hitter Brett Pill struck out, Pagan lofted a 1-2 pitch 386 feet into the left field seats to snap the Giants' losing streak in Cincinnati at seven games.
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Javier Lopez (2-0) allowed two hits but no runs in the eighth to earn the win. Santiago Casilla struck out the side in the ninth for his second save in two opportunities.
Jay Bruce hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning and Scott Rolen led off the seventh with his second of the season, both in the last two games, before Marshall blew his first save in five opportunities.
Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval went 1 for 5, extending his season-opening hitting streak to 19 games, a franchise record. He went into the game tied with Johnny Rucker, who hit in the first 18 games of the 1945 season with the then-New York Giants.
Reds starter Homer Bailey lasted 6 1-3 innings, allowing seven hits and three runs—two earned—with two walks and six strikeouts.
Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong gave up seven hits and four runs with two walks and five strikeouts in six innings.
The Reds took a 2-0 lead in the second on Devin Mesoraco's sacrifice fly and Bailey's RBI single. The Giants capitalized on shortstop Zack Cozart's error to tie the score with two runs in the fourth inning. Bruce broke the tie with his fourth homer of the season, a 381-foot shot to right-center field that just cleared the glove of the leaping Pagan. The homer was Bruce's first since hitting two against the Miami Marlins on April 8.
Pinch-hitter Gregor Blanco came up with a sacrifice fly to cut Cincinnati's lead to 4-3 in the seventh before Rolen's 429-foot homer.
NOTES: Marshall's appearance was the 300th of his career. ... The Giants hadn't won in Cincinnati since a 3-0 win on June 8, 2010. ... Pagan extended his hitting streak to 11 games (16 for 52, .308) with a seventh-inning single. ... Giants C Buster Posey went 0 for 3 with a walk to see his hitting streak snapped at eight games. ... San Francisco RF Nate Schierholtz went 0 for 4 to extend his streak of consecutive hitless at bats to 12.
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