theintelligencer.com photo: San Francisco Giants’ Pablo Sandoval follows the path of his 3-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 8, 2018, in San Francisco.
By Jeremy Kahn
SAN FRANCISCO — Pablo Sandoval wanted to help the San Francisco Giants gain a split against the St. Louis Cardinals, and he helped out, both on offense and defense.
Sandoval launched a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, helping the Giants to a 13-8 victory over the Cardinals before a crowd of 38,855 at AT&T Park on Sunday. The 13 runs scored by the Giants were their most in a home game since they scored 13 against the Minnesota Twins on June 11, 2016.
The home run by Sandoval was one of three hits for him on the afternoon, as he was joined in the three-hit club by Andrew McCutchen and Alen Hanson.
Not only did Sandoval have three hits on the afternoon, he also drove in five runs for the third time in his career. It was the first time since September 4, 2013, against the Padres, a span of 1,768 games since last Sandoval’s five RBI game. In that game, Sandoval hit three home runs and drove in six runs.
Sandoval also helped out on defense, as he made a tremendous play on a Marcell Ozuna, as he stopped the ball from going down the line, threw from his knees to get Tommy Pham at second base. On the play, Sandoval sprained his left thumb and despite being looked at by the trainers, he stayed in the game.
The win by the Giants gave Madison Bumgarner his second win of the season, and saw the Major League debut of two of their two top minor league prospects, Ray Black and Steven Duggar.
Two Giants received good news after the game, as Brandon Crawford won the fan vote for the National League All-Star team and will start in the game on July 17 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. Crawford will be joined by Buster Posey, who was selected by the players.
Brandon Belt will be part of the Final Player selected process, as he will join on the final ballot along with Jesus Aguilar of the Milwaukee Brewers, Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals, Max Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Trea Turner of the Washington Nationals.
Yairo Munoz drove in three runs for the Cardinals, as he gave them a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, as he took a Bumgarner pitch and put it into the left-field seats.
The Giants changed all that in the bottom of the third inning, as they scored three runs, as Posey reached on a Paul DeJong fielding error that scored Gorkys Hernandez from second base, as he led off the inning with a double off of Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty.
Following the DeJong error that allowed Bumgarner to go to second base, he then scored on an McCutchen single. Brandon Belt gave the Giants a two-run lead, as he singled to score Posey.
Munoz tied up the game in the top of the fourth inning, as he singled to centerfield to score Marcell Ozuna and Jedd Gyorko.
Harrison Bader scored the fourth run of the game for the Cardinals, as he was hit by a pitch and then scored on a Jose Martinez single.
That was the score for one-half inning, as Sandoval launched his eighth home run of the season that landed on the arcade. The three-run home run by Sandoval scored Brandon Belt, who doubled with one out, went to third on a Crawford single and then Sandoval launched a John Brebbia pitch onto the arcade.
Flaherty lasted just 2.1 innings, allowing three runs (two earned), walking two and striking out two, as he did not fare in the decision.
Bumgarner went 5.1 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out six, as he improved to 2-3 on the season.
After starting the season without a hit in his first 14 at-bats, Bumgarner picked up a single in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Duggar made his major league debut an eventful one, as after he was 0-for-3, including two strikeouts, Duggar picked up his first major league hit in the bottom of the sixth inning on a double to centerfield off of Greg Holland.
The Giants broke the game wide open in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Duggar led off the inning with a double, then Posey walked. After McCutchen grounded out for the first out of the inning, Belt was intentionally walked by Holland and it worked for the Cardinals, as Holland was able to get Crawford to strikeout for the second out of the inning.
Unfortunately for Holland, Crawford would be the last batter that he would retire, as Sandoval drove in two more runs with a single and then Hanson singled for the second time in as many at-bats. Gorkys Hernandez then got in on the act, as he singled to score Sandoval from second base and the speedy Hanson from first base.
This was the second time in the game that Hanson showed his speed, as he went from first to third on a Hernandez groundout in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The five runs allowed by Holland were the most that he allowed since August 27, 2010, while a member of the Kansas City Royals.
Black made his debut in the top of the eighth inning, as he pitched just one-third of an inning, allowing three runs on one hit, walking two and striking out no one.
Three of Black’s pitches reached 100 miles per hour, and mainly all of the pitches were 98 and above.
Carpenter cut the Giants lead in half, as he launched a three-run pinch-hit home run off of Black.
It was the 121st “Splash Hit” overall since AT&T Park opened on April 11, 2000, and the 43rd by an opponent.
This was the second “Splash Hit,” by a Cardinals player, as Carpenter joins Larry Walker, who hit into McCovey Cove, 13 years ago today on July 8, 2005.
Carpenter’s only other pinch-hit home run came on September 6, 2016 at PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates, off of current Giants reliever Tony Watson.
The Giants added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Sandoval and Hernandez scored on a DeJong error on a ball hit by Hunter Pence.
Duggar then picked up his second hit of the afternoon, as he legged out an infield hit that sent Pence to third base.
Martinez went 3-for-5 in the loss for the Cardinals, who after a day off on Monday, open a brief two-game series against the Chicago White Sox on the corner of 35thand Shields on the South Side of Chicago on Tuesday night.
NOTES: Andrew Suarez looks his fourth win of the season on Monday night, as he takes the mound for the opener against the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs will send Kyle Hendricks to the hill.
Hernandez was forced to leave the game with tightness in his left calf in the sixth inning.
Pham was forced to leave the game with a left ankle contusion in the eighth inning.
UP NEXT: The Giants will host the Cubs Monday night at 7:15 pm PDT.
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