Giants 11, Reds 2
CINCINNATI -- Hunter Pence enjoyed a stellar season debut for San Francisco, but shortstop Brandon Crawford was the star, going 3-for-5 with a double and grand slam, lifting the Giants to an 11-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night at Great American Ball Park.
Pence, who had been in the disabled list since fracturing his left forearm in the third game of spring training, started in right field and went 2-for-3 with a double, walk, and three runs.
First baseman Brandon Belt went 3-for-5 and homered for the second straight game, and left fielder Gregory Blanco added his first homer of the season for San Francisco (19-18) which has won 10 of 15.
Ryan Vogelsong (2-2) earned the victory for the Giants, tossing 5 2/3 innings with two runs and six hits allowed.
Reds right hander Mike Leake (2-2), who'd had considerable success against San Francisco in his career, allowed nine earned runs and 11 hits, including three home runs, in five innings.
Right fielder Jay Bruce hit his sixth homer for Cincinnati (18-19) in the sixth inning.
Leake owned a 5-1 record and 3.38 ERA in seven previous starts against San Francisco, but the Giants roughed him up early.
Belt homered for the second straight day, launching Leake's first pitch of the second inning deep into the center field seats to put San Francisco ahead 1-0.
Then, in his first plate appearance since Sept. 28, Pence doubled to center and scored on Crawford's hit making the score 2-0.
Blanco's first homer since Sept. 22 made the score 3-0 in the third.
San Francisco then really began to pour it on in the fourth. Pence singled and scored again in the fourth on Crawford's double. Third baseman Casey McGehee's single drove home Crawford with the Giants' fifth run.
Crawford, though, wasn't finished.
In the fifth, he crushed a 1-0 pitch from Leake an estimated 400 feet for his fourth career grand slam, making the score 9-0.
The nine runs were the most Leake had allowed in his career.
NOTES: Giants RF Hunter Pence was reinstated from the disabled list Saturday and started in right field, batting sixth. Pence had been on the DL since fracturing his forearm in the third Spring Training game. ... The Giants optioned C Hector Sanchez to Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday to make room for Pence. ... Reds LHP Sean Marshall, who has made just 31 appearances the past two season due to shoulder issues, will have season-ending surgery on Wednesday to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left shoulder. ... Reds CF Billy Hamilton was given a day off. SS Zack Cozart batted leadoff and Brennan Boesch played CF.