Giants Fall To Marlins In Three-Game Sweep
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS / AP) -- Hanley Ramirez drove in a pair of runs without a hit to back Anibal Sanchez's first win in four starts, and the Miami Marlins rebounded from a rough stretch for a 3-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday and a three-game sweep.
Giancarlo Stanton doubled in the seventh after he homered in three of his previous four games. Stanton has nine doubles and four home runs in 10 career games in the Giants' waterfront ballpark.
A 3,000-mile trek cross-country and a change of scenery seems to have done the trick for the rebounding Marlins, who had lost eight of nine and were booed in their new home stadium before starting this series—the club's second three-game sweep at AT&T Park in as many visits.
Edward Mujica worked the ninth for his first save in two chances on a day closer Heath Bell wasn't available after pitching in three straight games. The Marlins won their seventh in a row in San Francisco, taking all three in this series by one run, including 3-2 in 10 innings Wednesday night.
Sanchez (2-0) allowed one run on seven hits, struck out five and walked one in seven innings. He snapped a three-start stretch in which he didn't earn a decision, including a career-best 14-strikeout performance last Saturday's 3-2 home win against Arizona.
Omar Infante and Brett Hayes each had three hits for the Marlins.
Melky Cabrera had two hits and the Giants scored their only run on his double-play grounder in the sixth.
The Giants received a blow before the game when slugger and top hitter Pablo Sandoval was lost to a broken bone in his left hand that will require surgery Friday. He's expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks.
San Francisco has scored three or fewer runs in eight of its 12 home games and has not scored more than five runs in any of their games at AT&T Park.
Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong (0-2) was tagged for eight hits in seven innings, struck out five and walked four while throwing 116 pitches.
He didn't get much help, either, as San Francisco's woes with runners in scoring position continued. The Giants had runners on second and third in the seventh but couldn't convert, and they are 9 for 48 (.188) with runners in scoring position over the past six games.
The Giants fell behind 1-0 in the first by surrendering yet another unearned run. Jose Reyes reached on a two-base fielding error by shortstop Brandon Crawford to lead off the game and scored on Ramirez's groundout.
Vogelsong then walked Logan Morrison, gave up a hit to Infante and walked Stanton to load the bases. But Greg Dobbs struck out swinging on the right-hander's 33rd pitch of the inning.
Crawford committed a second error in the fourth to give him six on the season.
Conor Gillaspie, promoted from Triple-A Fresno to replace Sandoval, went 1 for 3 batting second as Angel Pagan dropped from leadoff to the No. 5 hole as the Giants dealt with the big blow of losing their All-Star slugger.
Pagan extended his career-best hitting streak to 17 games with a leadoff single in the seventh.
NOTES: Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio pulled off a double steal in the eighth. ... The struggling Bell is still the Marlins' closer, according to manager Ozzie Guillen—for now, anyway. ... The Giants have 28 errors, second in the majors to San Diego's 29. ... Pagan batted fifth for the first time this season. He also hit sixth once but otherwise had been in the leadoff of No. 2 hole the rest of the time. ... All four of Vogelsong's starts have been afternoon games. ... Giants manager Bruce Bochy was to be honored for his leadership Thursday night by the American Leadership Forum in nearby Mountain View.
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