Chris Haft
MLB.com
Nearly three hours before Friday night's first pitch, Giants manager Bruce Bochy already was anticipating Pablo Sandoval's return.
"We need his bat in the lineup," Bochy said.
This was hardly a profound statement, given Sandoval's status as the leading hitter among the Giants' regulars. But it proved prescient as Sandoval collected two key hits in San Francisco's fourth consecutive victory and fifth in a row at home, a 4-2 decision over the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Giants' offense didn't suffer during Sandoval's four-game absence with tightness in his right elbow. They averaged 5.5 runs and hit .299 in that span. Still, given the choice, the Giants would rather have Sandoval active than idle.
The .309 hitter re-established his presence immediately by lining a bases-loaded, two-run single in the first inning before singling and scoring in the fourth. As a result, the Giants ended St. Louis' nine-game streak of limiting opponents to three runs or fewer.
"You feel uncomfortable, not playing for five days [including Thursday's scheduled off-day]," Sandoval said.
His performance, however, demonstrated otherwise as he helped San Francisco (24-23) climb above .500 for the first time since May 17 (19-18).
"He just wakes up and hits," right-hander Matt Cain said. "I don't understand how he does it, but he does it."
"We didn't expect any different," second baseman Emmanuel Burriss said, referring to Sandoval's output. "He hasn't played for a couple of games and gets two knocks like it's nothing. I'm surprised he didn't get three."
Most importantly, Sandoval said he felt no pain in his elbow as he moved across the diamond to play first base, sparing him from the challenging throws he might have been forced to make at third.
Sandoval's impact complemented other facets of the Giants' effort, which needed to be a crisp one against the National League Central-leading Cardinals.
Cain (6-1) won his fourth consecutive decision, one shy of his personal best, by working 6 1/3 innings and surrendering both St. Louis runs (one earned). He trimmed his ERA to 1.57 in his last five starts and 2.31 overall, strengthening his candidacy for a spot on the NL All-Star pitching staff.
"He has been locked in from day one," Bochy said of Cain.
St. Louis right fielder Ryan Ludwick was duly impressed with Cain, who escaped a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the fourth inning by retiring Joe Thurston on a grounder to second base.
"He throws 94-95 [mph], he's got the slider, the changeup, and he has that big, slow curveball," said Ludwick, who went 0-for-2 with a walk in three plate appearances against Cain. "And today he was throwing that big curveball for strikes early in the count. You fall behind a pitcher like that, it's going to be a tough night."
Cain, whose lack of run support in previous years almost defied belief, deflected credit to the offense, which has averaged more than five runs per game for him this season.
"The biggest thing is the guys are scoring early," Cain said. "That's always a big confidence boost to pitch with a lead."
That was a nod to the 19-2 mark the Giants have built when they score first. This record reflects not only their opportunistic offense, but also their defense, which has enabled them to preserve leads. Such was the case once more against the Cardinals.
With Jeremy Affeldt pitching, Burriss dove to snare Chris Duncan's liner to end the seventh inning with a runner on first base. Had the ball eluded Burriss, the formidable Albert Pujols would have come to bat representing the potential go-ahead run.
One inning later, third baseman Juan Uribe made a diving backhanded stop of Pujols' hard-hit bid for extra bases. Shortstop Edgar Renteria then ranged up the middle to gather Ludwick's ground ball.
"Once in a while a team will score a bunch of runs, but that's not how you beat teams on a regular basis," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "Most games are like tonight. You face good pitching, and the team that finds some holes usually wins."
 St. Louis (28-20) Lost 1 | San Francisco 4, St. Louis 2 |  San Francisco (24-23) Won 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Standings thru 5/29/09 | Recap: STL | SF | Wrap | Gameday |
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