Giants find way to halt skid, beat Pirates 7

Posted: 07/30/2014 04:15:20 PM PDT

Updated: 07/30/2014 04:15:47 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO - The Giants flirted with unchartered territory Wednesday before they rediscovered their winning ways in a 7-5 decision over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

A two-run rally in the seventh inning erased a one-run deficit and propelled the Giants to a victory over the Pirates in the final game of the homestand.

The Giants had lost six straight games overall before Wednesday's win, which matched a season-high. Beating the Pirates also helped the Giants avoid the ignominious distinction of losing every game of a homestand that featured at least six games for the first time since the franchise moved here in 1958.

The offense-starved Giants clicked from the outset Wednesday.

Brandon Crawford started a three-run rally in the first inning with a line-drive single to right field.

The next five batters contributed two infield singles, two walks and a soft liner that just cleared the glove of leaping shortstop Jordy Mercer for another single.

Just like that, the Giants led 3-0. That modest outburst represented half the runs the Giants scored in their previous six games combined.

Nothing comes easy for the Giants these days, though. So it was that the Pirates tied the game with a run in the second and two more in the third off starter Tim Lincecum.

The Giants remained undeterred. They responded with a tiebreaking run in the bottom of the third.

Rookie Andrew Susac capped the rally with a bases-loaded single for his first major-league hit and RBI. The sold-out crowd saluted Susac with a standing ovation.

The Pirates wasted little time bouncing back as Mercer followed a one-out single by Travis Snider with a home run to give the Pirates their first lead of the day.

Lincecum's day ended one batter later after he walked No. 8 hitter Chris Stewart. The 3 1/3 innings marked his shortest outing of the season, other than his two-out save July 22.

The Giants stayed quiet until the seventh, when Joe Panik and Gregor Blanco recorded back-to-back singles, with Blanco's scoring Michael Morse with the game-tying run.

Panik gave the Giants a 6-5 lead when he dashed home on a wild pitch by Justin Wilson. Catcher Stewart appeared to have time to make a play, but he rushed his throw and is sailed past Wilson.

Pablo Sandoval capped the scoring with an RBI single in the eighth. Santiago Casilla allowed a one-out single in the ninth inning before he notched his eighth save.

-- Right-handed pitcher Matt Cain was scheduled to meet with noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews at some point today.

Bochy said before the game that he wasn't certain if the meeting had taken place

'I haven't gotten the results yet from Dave Groeschner,' Bochy said of the team's head athletic trainer.

-- Centerfielder Angel Pagan did his usual pregame routine in Arizona on Tuesday night, and 'all went well,' Bochy said.

As a result, it's possible that Pagan will play in a game in Arizona on Thursday, Bochy said. Pagan still is bothered by a sore back.

-- First baseman Brandon Belt (concussion) hasn't had any setbacks of late in his rehab, Bochy said.

'We're ramping up his baseball activities,' Bochy said.

Belt has been cleared to fly, and he is slated to join the Giants on their flight to New York after today's game.

The plan is to monitor Belt's progress and then determine whether he is ready to rejoin the Giants or play in a rehab game or two.

-- Bochy said he spoke with Crawford before today's game and that the primary topic was about Crawford 'tweaking his mechanics.'

The goal, Bochy said, is for Crawford 'to be a bit more consistent, particularly against right-handed pitching. His numbers should not be where they are against right-handed pitching.'

Crawford entered Wednesday's game batting .311 against lefties this season but only .198 against righties. He had one hit in three official at-bats. He also walked twice.

Bochy said he suggested to Crawford that he shorten up his swing a bit so that he can 'handle all four quadrants' of the strike zone.

Bochy moved Crawford up to second in the batting order against righty Charlie Morton.

-- Anyone hoping for a huge trade before the deadline likely is in for disappointment.

'Nothing is on the horizon right now,' Bochy said.

Bochy said he gets kept abreast of what's in the works by general manager Brian Sabean. They spoke Tuesday night, in fact.

Besides, Bochy added: 'This is a good group.'

-- Bochy said everyone needs to work even harder, try harder, do whatever it takes to get out of their current skid.

To that end, Bochy quipped: 'We are working on a drill getting hit by a pitch ... leaning into the ball.'

Who's running that drill?

'Sabes,' Bochy said in enjoying a light moment before the game.

-- The Giants turned one of the more bizarre double in the sixth inning.

The fun started when relief pitcher Jean Machi walked Stewart to load the bases with one out. After catching the return throw from Susac, Machi noticed Travis Snider too far off second base.

Machi alertly threw to second, which forced Snider into a rundown. The Giants tagged out Snider, while Ike Davis bolted from third. Davis, too, got tagged out in a rundown.

For more on the Giants, see Alex Pavlovic's Giants Extra blog at http://ift.tt/1eY3IDU. Follow him on Twitter at http://ift.tt/Q42sCv.

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