Pagan's grand slam helps Giants crush Pirates
PITTSBURGH -- Angel Pagan hit a grand slam and Johnny Cueto picked up his 11th win Tuesday as the San Francisco Giants walloped the Pittsburgh Pirates 15-4.
Conor Gillaspie added a two-run homer and finished with four hits and four RBIs for the Giants, who had 22 hits. They have won nine of their past 10 games.
Cueto (11-1) joins Jake Arrieta, Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale as the only 11-game winners in the big leagues this season. He allowed one run on four hits with six strikeouts and one walk over 6 2/3 innings. He left in the seventh after the Pirates broke up his shutout when Jacob Stallings got his first major-league hit, a double to the left-field wall, and RBI.
Pittsburgh, which has lost six of its past seven games and 11 of its past 13, added two runs in the eighth on David Freese's homer and another in the ninth on Freese's RBI double.
Pittsburgh's Wilfredo Boscan (1-1), making his first major-league start after getting recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis, got rocked for seven runs in the fourth. San Francisco added single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh and three more in the eighth -- all with two out.
Pirates left fielder Starling Marte left with two outs in the eighth after he apparently stepped awkwardly while trying to run down a triple hit by Ramiro Pena. The club said he had left foot discomfort.
Boscan had made five relief appearances and picked up his first win in earlier call-ups this season.
Through three innings, he breezed along, allowing one hit, striking out two and walking none on 37 pitches.
Then it fell apart. Big time.
He failed to get an out in the fourth, and when Boscan was replaced by Arquimedes Caminero, San Francisco had a 7-0 lead.
Joe Panik led off the inning with a single to center. After Brandon Belt doubled and Buster Posey drew the Giants' first walk, Brandon Crawford drew a walk on an 11-pitch at-bat to bring home Panik for a 1-0 lead.
Pagan -- who a night earlier in left field leaped but dropped what proved to be the winning homer - followed with a first-pitch grand slam, the second of his career, for a 5-0 Giants lead. After Gregor Blanco doubled to center, Gillaspie blasted a homer to right for a 7-0 lead.
That was the end of Boscan's night. He nearly doubled his pitch count that inning, finishing with 68.
Gillaspie drove in another run with an RBI single in the fifth for an 8-0 lead.
NOTES: San Francisco, as expected, placed 3B Matt Duffy on the 15-day DL. Duffy aggravated a left Achilles' sprain on Sunday. ... The Giants recalled OF Mac Williamson from Triple-A Sacramento. He is expected to be in the lineup Wednesday. ... CF Denard Span returned to the Giants lineup after sitting out Monday because of a stiff neck. ... San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy is hopeful IF Kelby Tomlinson (sprained thumb) can return before the All-Star break. Tomlinson, who missed his 11th game, had the splint removed Tuesday. ... The Pirates recalled RHP Wilfredo Boscan from Triple-A Indianapolis and gave him his first major-league start Tuesday. He had appeared in relief in earlier recalls. ... Pittsburgh optioned RHP Curtis Partch to Indianapolis. ... Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said RHP Juan Nicasio (restricted list, family matter) could return soon and will go to the bullpen for at least the short term. ... Per Elias Sports, Pirates C Erik Kratz was hitting .045 when he provided the only run in Monday's game with a homer off of Madison Bumgarner, the lowest average of anyone to homer in a 1-0 game (minimum 25 at-bats).