Mercury NewsWith Pablo Sandoval and Nate Schierholtz leading the way, the heart of the Giants' batting order is finally starting to show some vibrant thump.
Sandoval went 3 for 4, including a monster homer to break a scoreless tie in the fourth inning, and Schierholtz was 2 for 4 with the first run-scoring hit in a four-run sixth as the Giants whipped the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 at AT&T Park on Monday night.
"You've having fun when you're swinging the bat well," said Sandoval after a brilliant night in the field and at the plate. "If we keep doing like that, we're going to have fun every day."
Ryan Vogelsong (7-1) was the benefactor of San Francisco's rare night of robust offensive fun, even if he didn't need so much. In making his first post-All-Star start, the Giants rotation's Lazarus picked up where he left off from his stellar first half. The right-hander tossed 62/3 shutout innings, limited the Dodgers to seven hits and solidified his position as the National League's ERA leader at 2.02.
Vogelsong's continued excellence is no longer so surprising, but the possible revival of the Giants' offense may be. They've scored four or more runs in five of their past six games, and that's a positive sign for a team that is 35-6 when it puts at least four runs on the board.
"We're not going to score 10 runs a game, but we should be able to score five," Sandoval said. "That's important, because we have a great pitching staff and we shouldn't have so many one- and two-run games. If we can get a couple guys going, we can do some damage."
At least of late, Sandoval and Schierholtz have been giving the Giants some respectable anchors in the middle of their order, and their five hits played a huge part in beating a former nemesis, Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley (8-8). Sandoval has had a rough time with Billingsley historically (6 for 33, .182 lifetime with no homers coming into Monday night), but he was no mystery to him on this night.
Change of approach, perhaps? No, Sandoval maintained.
"See ball, hit ball, that's what I've been doing these last couple games," he said. "I don't worry about approach."
Sandoval definitely saw the pitch Billingsley offered up to open the bottom of the fourth. He launched his ninth homer into the pavilion in right-center, one of the deepest parts of the ballpark.
As good as Sandoval has been at the plate, he was just as good at third base in this game, making several nice stops: notably a backhand pick of a Matt Kemp stinging grounder in the sixth with runners at first and second and nobody out. Sandoval not only snared the ball, he made a strong throw to second baseman Mike Fontenot, who turned a double play.
"Sandoval, since he's been back (from hand surgery), has just played a terrific third base," said manager Bruce Bochy. "Range, coming in on the ball, he's throwing the ball well. I just love the way he's playing defensively."
As for Vogelsong, he made his first second-half statement that he was a worthy All-Star pick. While he could care less about his league-leading ERA, if it validates Bochy's faith in picking him for the N.L. team, he'll be happy to take the numbers as low as he possibly can.
"It's important for me to prove him right," Vogelsong said. "(Critics) can say whatever they want to say, it doesn't bother me one bit. But he stuck his neck out to pick me, so I want to show people he made a good decision."
Vogelsong had some control issues in his previous three starts but studied film during the break and noticed a flaw in his mechanics that helped him get back to form. He walked just one against the Dodgers while striking out five.
Infielder Miguel Tejada left the game after suffering a lower-abdominal strain while making a fielding play in the third inning. Catcher Chris Stewart left in the sixth after getting hit in the back of the head by Aaron Miles' bat.
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