Mercury News
Andres Torres and Jonathan Sanchez were teammates six winters ago in Puerto Rico. Torres wondered how a kid so skinny could throw so hard. Sanchez wondered how a flyball-catching outfielder and dynamic switch hitter could be deprived an everyday job in the big leagues.
"You see what he's doing now," Sanchez said.
Torres did a little of everything to help Sanchez and the Giants claim a 10-2 victory over the downtrodden Baltimore Orioles at AT&T Park on Monday night.
The 32-year-old center fielder is a late bloomer, but he would be the star of any hothouse. He tripled and scored in the first inning, hit a run-scoring double during a five-run second inning and made a sliding catch that saved a run.
Pat Burrell started the second-inning rally with a home run as the Giants won for the seventh time in nine games.
"I just try to make something happen," said Torres, who has sparked the Giants to a 19-8 record since he was moved to the leadoff spot. "You have to be patient, show everybody what the pitcher's got. But sometimes you jump on that first fastball, too."
Everyone is jumping on the Orioles these days. They own the worst record in the majors, at 17-47. They have lost 18 of their past 20 games. Manager Dave Trembley was relieved of his duties two weeks ago.
For the Giants, the boys from Charm City picked a perfect time for their first interleague visit since 2002.
Sanchez pitched into the eighth inning to win for the third time in four starts. He gave up a season-high eight hits but issued only one walk and avoided stressful innings. He never faced more than five batters in any inning. "Go out, relax and make pitches," said Sanchez, who received zero run support in five of his first nine starts. Asked if he could remember the last time he pitched with a five-run lead, Sanchez stared at the questioner for a good 10 seconds. The silence said everything. Sanchez and Torres faced each other over the years in the Puerto Rican winter league; Sanchez played for Carolina and Torres was on the Mayaguez team. In 2004, Mayaguez went to the Caribbean Series and picked up Sanchez for the playoff run. "The first time I saw him, I thought, 'He is so skinny but he has a good fastball,' " Torres said. "He broke my bat once, but I got a few hits, too." Responded a smiling Sanchez: "He had no chance." Torres also recalled that they both nearly missed a flight to Mexico because their passports weren't in order. They're going places now. "We had quality at-bat after quality at-bat," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "And it's always nice when your leadoff hitter starts you off with a triple. "We're showing more patience up there. We're not quite the free-swinging club that we were." Torres keeps making contributions in the outfield, too. He made a tumbling catch of a sinking line drive from Nick Markakis in the first inning, saving Sanchez a run and allowing him to settle down. Sanchez saw plenty of those plays in Puerto Rico, too. "He'd play center field, and if there's a fly ball to left, he'd just go get it," Sanchez said. "He wouldn't let anybody catch anything. I think, 'What's going on with this kid?' He's amazing. The things he is doing here, getting on base all the time, stealing bases, making all these catches — he's doing everything." Freddy Sanchez continues to complement Torres in the No. 2 spot, too. He collected four RBIs, hitting a sacrifice fly to score Torres in the first inning and a run-scoring single in the second inning. He added a two-run single in the eighth after Orioles right-hander Frank Mata had issued two walks with the bases loaded.
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