Henry Schulman - San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate)
There were two cherished baseballs inside the clubhouse after the Giants throttled the Mets 10-2 Monday night.
The fans who attended the Giants' eighth win in their last 12 games probably will remember the ball Brian Horwitz blasted into the seats in left-center field for his first big-league home run, which capped a six-run first inning. He swapped a signed bat to get it back.
The ball that surely means most to its owner was hit not nearly as far. It was a second-inning single by catcher Bengie Molina, his 1,000th career hit, a precious keepsake, a reminder for this humble and intense man from Puerto Rico that he lasted long enough in the majors to do something few thought he could do - get there and stay there.
"It means a lot to me," Molina said. "It's like most guys hitting 3,000. I know I'm not a superstar. I know I'm not a Hall of Famer. To get 1,000 hits for a guy who was not supposed to sign at first, then signed for $1,000, $750 after taxes, a guy who wasn't supposed to make it in the major leagues, the slowest guy in the world ... to get 1,000 hits is an honor for me."
The announced crowd of 36,126 was honored with the sight of a rare Giants laugher, as they chased left-hander Oliver Perez after eight batters and one out. Randy Winn hit a leadoff homer. Molina had an RBI single for his 999th hit, Ray Durham added a two-run double and Horwitz finished the outburst with his two-run homer.
The six-run first was the Giants' biggest opening inning since they scored six in an 11-6 victory against Milwaukee on Aug. 24. In a funny twist, the pitcher they chased in that inning was Claudio Vargas, who is now a Met, and not only relieved Perez to get the final two outs of the first inning but held the Giants in check until he departed after the fifth.
It was a 6-2 game, hardly in the bag for the Giants, when starter Jonathan Sanchez iced it with a two-run double in the sixth against Carlos Muñiz. Sanchez's drive off the base of the right-field wall was a surprise bolt for a pitcher who had three hits in 40 career at-bats.
Manager Bruce Bochy, asked to describe Sanchez's swing, smiled and said, "You know when you say hope is not a strategy? With him, it is."
The Giants blew an early 6-0 lead against Houston and lost during their last homestand, but Bochy said that thought did not cross his mind even as the Giants could not fatten their first-inning largess against the Mets.
"We had the right guy out there with the lead," he said. "The way he's pitching now, he's not caving in. He's grinding. That's why I let him hit there."
Indeed, Sanchez (4-3) has been the Giants' most consistent starter next to Tim Lincecum. On Monday, Sanchez joined Lincecum (7-1) as the only starters with winning records. Sanchez pitched seven innings, struck out eight and held the Mets to two runs.
Durham and Molina each had three of the Giants' 15 hits. Horwitz had two hits, a sacrifice fly and three RBIs to continue his Bowker-esque start.
Horwitz is having the time of his life. Already nicknamed "the Rabbi" by teammates, he has four hits after two big-league starts. His presence might make it tough for Fred Lewis to get into another lineup when the Giants face a left-handed pitcher.
"Unbelievable," Horwitz said of his experience since he was called up Friday. "It's extraordinary, surreal. It's an out-of-body experience. I'm really enjoying being here. How could you complain? It's great to be winning as well."
The Giants have done a good job of rising from the mat after losing the first two games of this homestand against San Diego and running their home losing streak to seven games. They finished the Padres' series with a dramatic comeback win Sunday then had a diametrically opposite win Monday night.
Sanchez, who has done a much better job escaping jams, did so in the first inning when he struck out Fernando Tatis to strand the bases loaded. Then, the offense pounced on Perez, with yet another product of the farm system coming up with a big hit. In fact, Horwitz was the eighth Giant to make his big-league debut this year.
"It's a little weird," Durham said. "I don't think I've played with this many rookies. They ship one guy out and bring another in. I think this team is going to be all right for years to come."
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