By Morris Phillips

Giants’ hitters spent the afternoon trying to top each other’s feats in an Opening Day offensive explosion for the record books in Milwaukee.

Denard Span knocked in five runs in his first game as a Giant, and Matt Duffy plated four in a 12-3 rout that was capped by three consecutive home runs in the eighth inning by Span, Joe Panik and Buster Posey. The back-to-back-to-back homers in the opener had only been accomplished twice in major league history, most recently by the 1997 Padres.

Madison Bumgarner started on Opening Day for the third straight year despite experiencing fever and chills starting on Sunday. The former World Series MVP lasted just five innings, allowing three runs on five hits and five walks, but departed with a 7-3 lead.

Bumgarner pulled his big escape act in the first inning after walking three batters and allowing a run. With the bases loaded, he induced Aaron Hill to hit into an inning-ending double play.

“We’ve all seen what he’s done in the postseason multiple times, so I wouldn’t expect the flu to hold down a guy like that,” Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun said.

The healthy Giants’ lineup with capable hitters one through nine impressed Brewers’ manager Craig Counsell with their ability to hit deep in counts, moving the line early against starter Wily Peralta, who lasted just four innings after coughing up four runs on five hits. The Milwaukee bullpen didn’t fare well either, allowing all four the Giants’ homers including Matt Duffy’s blast off Carlos Torres in the fifth.

Duffy knocked in all four of his runs in the first five innings, but Span topped that with total with his three-run shot in the eighth.

“What they’re good at is putting the ball in play on tough pitches with two strikes,” Counsell said.

“That’s a good team. They’re great hitters,” Peralta said. “That’s a tough game for me and for the team today, but we have to move forward.”

Ariel Pena was on the hill for the home run explosion in the eighth, capped by Posey’s blast over the centerfield wall. The Giants last hit four home runs on Opening day in 1983, also the last time they scored as many as 12 runs.

The game was played as light snow flurries descended on the Wisconsin lakefront, but didn’t interrupt the proceedings with the retractable roof at Miller Park closed.   The Giants opened a season in Milwaukee for the first time ever.

While the Giants were as advertised after a trio of splashy free agent signings in the off-season, the Brewers rebuild got off to a rocky start. The news off the field wasn’t much better for Milwaukee, as veteran Matt Garza was scratched from his scheduled start on Wednesday in the series finale due to shoulder issues.

On Tuesday, Johnny Cueto makes his Giants’ debut against the Brewers’ Jimmy Nelson.