The San Francisco Giants turned the page on the Barry Bonds era.
They have the World Series rings to prove they are no longer
addicted to his presence. But they still haven’t replaced Bonds’
fearsome, middle-of-the-order production. They are entering their
seventh season without a 100-RBI man; Bonds was the last to reach
the mark, in 2004. Pablo Sandoval might be the perfect Panda to end
that streak.
PHOENIX
The San Francisco Giants turned the page on the Barry Bonds era. They have the World Series rings to prove they are no longer addicted to his presence.
But they still haven’t replaced Bonds’ fearsome, middle-of-the-order production. They are entering their seventh season without a 100-RBI man; Bonds was the last to reach the mark, in 2004.
Pablo Sandoval might be the perfect Panda to end that streak.
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A year after he was abysmal with runners in scoring position, Sandoval is knocking in runs and making an impact. His three-run home run in the first inning was the biggest swing in a 5-2 victory over stingy Daniel Hudson and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
It provided the support Matt Cain needed and applied a little grease as the Giants began a demanding stretch in which they will play 16 out of 19 on the road.
Freddy Sanchez reached on an infield single, and Buster Posey sprayed a two-out hit to set up Sandoval, whose shot easily cleared the swimming pool beyond the wall in right-center field.
Sandoval, the team’s RBI leader with nine, is settling in nicely as the No. 5 hitter behind Posey. After the home run, he was 4 for 8 with six RBIs when batting with two outs and runners in scoring position; in those clutch situations a year ago, he hit .182 in 55 at-bats and drove in just 11 runs.
Of course, Sandoval’s weight problems had much to do with his struggles last season. But he also has acknowledged he lacked plate discipline, jumping at pitches and over-rotating with his swing. Most acutely, he was overeager in RBI situations.
Sandoval showed more patience in his second plate appearances, drawing a leadoff walk in the fourth inning and scoring on Miguel Tejada’s double down the left-field line.
Tejada’s hit provided a cushion for Cain, who took a shutout into the sixth inning. It also was significant for another reason.
The Giants hadn’t figured out a way to expose Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, and Hudson was emerging as another difficult puzzle. He faced the Giants twice down the stretch last year and was 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA, completing seven innings each time.
In fact, Hudson had posted a quality start (at least six innings, no more than three earned runs) in all 13 outings since the Diamondbacks acquired him in the July 30 trade that sent Edwin Jackson to the Chicago White Sox.
That streak ended Friday night with Tejada’s double, but it wasn’t due to a lack of stuff. Hudson had his sinker working as he struck out 10 in six innings.
The Giants simply managed to barrel up enough mistakes to do damage.
Sandoval is one Panda who likes the desert. He entered with a .385 average in 78 at-bats at Chase Field — the third highest average for active players with at least 50 career plate appearances here. Aubrey Huff ranked second, with a .400 average.
Sandoval has home runs in consecutive games, combined with the tying, right-handed shot he hit in Wednesday’s comeback victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He only hit home runs in consecutive games on one occasion last season.
It’s possible Sandoval could become the Giants’ first 100-RBI man since Bonds. He also would join J.T. Snow (104 RBI in 1997) as the only Giants switch-hitter to reach the century mark.
The Giants added their fifth run in the fifth inning when Huff and Posey executed a double-steal, and catcher Miguel Montero made a wild throw into left field.
Cain (2-0) didn’t overpower Arizona’s lineup so much as keep the Diamondbacks off balance while limiting them to four hits in six-plus innings.
Even in a hitter’s yard, Cain seems to find a way to use the dimensions to his advantage. He only struck out three and had eight fly outs, but none of them left the lively yard. Stephen Drew made the hardest contact with a leadoff double in the seventh, and Cain was replaced after hitting Melvin Mora with a pitch.
The Giants needed to call upon Brian Wilson to nail down the final out in the ninth, though. Wilson allowed one of Javier Lopez’s runners to score on Willie Bloomquist’s single before getting Kelly Johnson to fly out to end it.
— Story by Andrew Baggarly, San Jose Mercury News
