Giants earn crucial win over Cards
SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Giants took advantage of a Yadier Molina error to score six unearned runs in the third inning Friday night, then coasted to an 8-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals for a second consecutive win in a key four-game series.
Buster Posey ended a 185 at-bat drought with his first home run in two months, helping the Giants (79-68) open a three-game gap over the Cardinals (76-71) in the National League wild-card race.
The Giants also were able to keep pace with the Los Angeles Dodgers atop the NL West. The Dodgers (83-64) retained a four-game lead with a 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The loss dropped the Cardinals two games behind the New York Mets (78-69), who currently hold the second wild-card spot in the NL.
Staked to a big early lead, Matt Moore (11-11) won for the fourth time in his last five starts. He allowed two runs and seven hits in five innings, walking three and striking out four.
Five Giants relievers combined to no-hit the Cardinals the rest of the way.
Posey, who had four hits in Thursday's 6-2 win in the series opener, drove in four runs with three hits. He and Brandon Belt both had two-RBI hits in the six-run third that ended the night for Cardinals starter Luke Weaver (1-3).
The home run, a two-run shot in the fourth inning, was Posey's first since July 16 at San Diego.
Belt had two hits for the Giants, who saw an 11-game errorless streak end when Moore made an errant pickoff throw to first base in the third inning.
Molina drove in two runs and Matt Carpenter had two hits for the Cardinals, who have begun a 10-game trip with a pair of losses.
Former Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal provided a positive for the club with a successful return from a nearly two-month stint on the disabled list with shoulder injury. He threw a 1-2-3 seventh inning, striking out two.
Both teams finished with seven hits.
A questionable decision by Molina opened the floodgates for the Giants in the six-run third inning.
With one on and one out in a scoreless game, Molina fielded Moore's bunt in front of home plate and had an easy second out at first base. But he chose to rush a throw to second and threw high for an error, allowing Denard Span to slide in safely.
After Angel Pagan walked to load the bases, Joe Panik hit a fly ball to right field that would have ended the inning had the Cardinals gotten an out on the bunt. Instead, it went for a sacrifice fly, scoring the game's first run.
In fact, all three baserunners advanced on Panik's fly, setting up a two-run single by Posey on a blooper to right to make it 3-0.
The Giants weren't done. Hunter Pence singled, Brandon Belt laced a two-run double and Brandon Crawford smacked an RBI single, completing the six-run uprising, with all of the runs going down as unearned.
Weaver was pulled after Crawford's hit. The rookie allowed six runs (none earned) and five hits in 2 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four.
Belt was originally called out at the plate on Crawford's double, but the Giants challenged and the call was reversed.
It was the second overturn of the inning, with one costing the Cardinals a run in the top of the third.
It appeared St. Louis had scored the game's first run on a two-out infield single by Aledmys Diaz. But the Giants challenged the safe call at first, and got a run-saving reversal from New York.
The Cardinals got on the board in the fourth when Molina singled in Stephen Piscotty, who had walked.
Posey's homer in the fourth made it 8-1.
NOTES: New Golden State Warriors player Kevin Durant threw out the game's ceremonial first pitch. ... Before the teams took the field, the New York Mets' 3-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins was posted on the scoreboard. The Mets moved to within a half-game of the Giants and took a 1 1/2-game lead over the Cardinals in the National League wild-card race at that point. ... Cardinals manager Mike Matheny announced that OF Matt Holliday will take live batting practice before Saturday's game to test his fractured right thumb. Holliday has a pin in the thumb and hasn't played since Aug. 11. ... The Giants reinstated OF Gregor Blanco (sore right shoulder) from the disabled list. Blanco had missed the previous 22 games.