On those rare summer nights in San Francisco when Contra Costa weather creeps in, homes without air conditioners bake and parkas are not needed at Ocean Beach, cavernous AT&T Park morphs into grandma's backyard. It's like Cincinnati's ballpark with Cha Cha bowls.
For proof, please read Tuesday night's box score, which denotes the Giants' second consecutive pounding of the Central-leading Cincinnati Reds, this time 16-5. The last time the Giants scored that many runs in a game was 2004.
The Giants dealt rookie Travis Wood his worst beating in the majors, seven runs in four innings, then pummeled the bullpen even worse as they rejoined Philadelphia atop the wild-card standings.
Combined with Monday's 11-2 dress-down, the Giants scored double digits in consecutive games at China Basin for the first time. In fact, Richard Nixon was president the last time it happened in San Francisco, Sept. 2-3, 1973, against the Dodgers and Braves at Candlestick Park. Manager Bruce Bochy said he graduated high school that year.
Not a bad fireworks show against the team that leads the league in runs.
The Giants hit four homers Tuesday, by Freddy Sanchez, Juan Uribe, Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval. The last time the Giants did that at home, in 2007 against the Marlins, Barry BondsHank Aaron's record. hit No. 754 to move one shy of
"The ball was flying," Bochy said. "We had some great at-bats the last two nights. Throughout the lineup, we had guys swinging well. We had to because they kept closing the gap. But we answered back, which was huge."
The way the Giants secured a series win is hard to fathom after Sunday's loss in St. Louis, when the Giants were blanked on three hits. Aubrey Huff suggested that two big first innings - five runs Monday and three Tuesday - relaxed everyone, so "they weren't gripping the bats too hard."
Several Giants padded their stats.
Sandoval, who looks like the Energizer Panda again, had three hits and four RBIs, giving him seven in the series. Sanchez had four hits for the second game in a row, which he had not done in the majors. Andres Torres drove in a career-high four with a two-run single and two-run double.
In his first start for the Giants, Cody Ross ignited the scoring with a two-out RBI single in the first, sending general manager Brian Sabean scurrying to the waiver wire to see if he could submit more blocking claims before last call.
In all, the Giants enjoyed three three-run innings and one of six runs.
"It became a two-possession game there toward the end," Reds third baseman Scott Rolen joked.
Afterward, Torres was by Sandoval's locker chatting, an eight-RBI meeting of minds.
"I think the Panda's back," Torres said. "That's the Pablo that I know. He's been swinging the bat hard. It's not just him. It's been everybody. It's been fun. Hopefully, we'll keep this going."
The only real negative for the Giants was Jonathan Sanchez's inability to secure his 10th win, which would have been a career high, despite the largess. He owned leads of 4-0 and 7-2 but did not last long enough to qualify.
Sanchez was pulled with one out in the fifth and the lead down to 7-5 after surrendering his third homer, a two-run blast by Rolen. Brandon Phillips hit the other two.
In the bottom half, the Giants merely went back to work. They countered with a six-run gully-washer against another rookie, Mike Leake, in the bottom half. Five of the runs scored on the homers by Uribe and Posey, his 10th in 285 at-bats.
Two cities, 4 games
After losing Saturday and Sunday in St. Louis by a combined 14-1 count, the Giants returned to China Basin and pounded Cincinnati on Monday and Tuesday to a 27-7 tune. S.F.'s offense went to extremes:
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