Giants 6, Marlins 0
SAN FRANCISCO -- Casey McGehee hit a grand slam against his former team and right-hander Tim Lincecum contributed to his second consecutive shutout Friday night, lifting the San Francisco Giants to a 6-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.
Hot-hitting first baseman Brandon Belt had four hits, including a double in a sixth consecutive game, and catcher Buster Posey reached base five straight times and scored three runs as the Giants avenged a 7-2 loss the night before to even the four-game series at one game apiece.
McGehee, a third baseman who had been benched for three consecutive games because of an 8-for-56 slump, showed no rust in his first plate appearance of the night in the second inning, crushing a fastball from Marlins right-hander Jarred Cosart into the bleachers in left-center field for his first grand slam since 2010.
The home run was just the second of the season for McGehee, who left the Marlins as a free agent over the winter. The four RBIs were one more than he had totaled in his first 29 games as a Giant.
The four-run cushion was more than enough for Lincecum and right-handed reliever Yusmeiro Petit, who combined on a three-hitter.
Coming off a 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in which he pitched eight shutout innings, Lincecum (3-2) blanked the Marlins for six before leaving with a 5-0 lead. He gave up all three of the Miami hits and walked three, but struck out a season-high eight.
Belt improved to 12-for-22 during his six-game hitting streak by stroking four consecutive hits before striking out in the eighth inning. He doubled in the second ahead of McGehee's grand slam.
Belt has hit a double in six straight games, a streak that's one shy of the Giants' all-time franchise record.
Posey reached base in all five of his plate appearances, singling twice before walking three consecutive times. He also scored on McGehee's slam, as well as providing the Giants' scoring in the fifth and seventh innings.
Right fielder Justin Maxwell had two hits and two RBIs, driving in Posey with the last two runs.
In snapping a two-game losing streak, the Giants had 12 hits. They, however, failed to score more than six runs in a 30th consecutive game this season.
Petit, who was credited with his first save, faced just one over the minimum nine batters in his three-inning, hitless stint. He walked one and struck out two.
Center fielder Marcell Ozuna had a double and a single for the Marlins, who had pelted the Giants with a season-high 17 hits in Thursday's win.
Cosart (1-3) lasted only four innings, allowing four runs on six hits. He walked three and struck out two.
The Marlins are now 2-3 on their 10-game trip, having alternated losses and wins over the five-game stretch.
McGehee's third career grand slam came after the Giants had loaded the bases against Cosart in a scoreless game in the bottom of the second. Belt's double helped set the stage as it followed a single by Posey and preceded a walk to right fielder Justin Maxwell.
Shortstop Brandon Crawford struck out for the first out, setting up a possible double play to end the inning. But McGehee, batting eighth in part because he has grounded into the most double plays in the majors this season, instead belted a 3-1 pitch over the fence in left-center field for a 4-0 lead.
The last Giants No. 8 hitter to hit a grand slam was shortstop Miguel Tejada in 2011.
Cosart was pulled for a pinch hitter in the fifth, an inning in which the Marlins loaded the bases and brought slugging right fielder Giancarlo Stanton to the plate as the potential tying run. But Lincecum struck out Stanton on three pitches to end the threat and retain a shutout.
The Giants created more distance between themselves and the Marlins in the last of the fifth inning on an RBI single by Maxwell that scored Posey for a 5-0 lead. McGehee ended the inning by grounding into his 10th double play.
NOTES: Marlins 2B Dee Gordon, the major league leader in batting average and hits, did not start because of a sore right leg suffered when he lunged awkwardly for home plate in the ninth inning of Thursday's game. Gordon is expected back in the starting lineup Saturday. ... Coincidentally, Gordon had been 3-for-his-last-21 against the Giants' Friday night starter, RHP Tim Lincecum. ... Lincecum entered the game needing 14 strikeouts to catch LHP Carl Hubbell (1,677) for fourth place on the Giants' all-time strikeout list. ... Before the game, the Marlins activated LF Christian Yelich (strained lower back) from the disabled list and designated INF Reid Brignac for assignment. ... Interestingly, Yelich was immediately inserted into Friday's starting lineup in place of OF Ichiro Suzuki despite the fact the Marlins had gone 13-5 in Suzuki's starts in left field as opposed to 1-10 with Yelich there. ... Giants RF Hunter Pence began an injury-rehab stint at Triple-A Sacramento on Friday night. ... Giants INF Matt Duffy, who had made three consecutive starts at third base before Friday, changed his number from 50 to 5.