Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Melky Cabrera continued his stellar play in May, racking up three hits, four RBI and three runs scored as the San Francisco Giants downed the Miami Marlins, 14-7, in the opener of a four-game set.
The switch-hitting Cabrera recorded his MLB-leading 22nd multi-hit game of the season. He's batting .421 (40-for-95) in May, which leads the majors.
Angel Pagan registered a pair of hits to go with four RBI and a run scored for the Giants, who have won six of their last eight.
Ryan Vogelsong (3-2) surrendered three runs on seven hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings, ending his four-start streak of allowing a run or fewer.
Anibal Sanchez (2-3) had been 3-0 with two shutouts and a 0.87 ERA in his career against the Giants coming in, but allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks while fanning seven through 5 1/3 innings for Miami, which has lost two in a row on the heels of a three-game winning streak.
With the game tied 1-1 after five innings, the Giants surged ahead with a four-run sixth.
Gregor Blanco slapped a leadoff triple into the left-center field gap to begin the frame and after Brandon Crawford fanned, Cabrera scorched a line drive off of Sanchez's wrist. Sanchez came home with the throw as Blanco was halfway between third and home, but retreated back to third safely as he eluded Ramirez's tag with a slick head-first slide.
Buster Posey then walked to load the bases with one away and Pagan roped a double to right, which plated Blanco and Cabrera for a 3-1 Giants advantage. A wild pitch allowed Posey to cross home before Pagan scored on Brandon Belt's bloop single to center, making it a 5-1 game.
San Francisco plated three more in the seventh on Cabrera's two-run double and Pagan's RBI ground out before Miami responded with a pair of runs in the home half on Greg Dobbs' RBI single and Logan Morrison's bases-loaded walk for an 8-3 score.
The Giants added four more runs in the eighth inning on consecutive two-run doubles from Crawford and Cabrera, preceding Miami's four-run bottom half which included a two-run single from Donovan Solano and a two-run double from Giancarlo Stanton, which made it 12-7 San Francisco.
San Francisco tallied a pair in the ninth frame as Omar Infante's error allowed Nate Schierholtz to cross the plate. Brett Pill then grounded into a double play, which plated Joaquin Arias and made it 14-7.
Miami struck first in the second inning, ending Vogelsong's 11-inning scoreless streak when Stanton clubbed a long leadoff shot that landed well beyond the 427-foot marker in left-center, giving the Marlins a 1-0 lead.
The Giants tied the game at 1-1 in the fourth frame on Pagan's RBI bloop single.
Game Notes
Sanchez's string of consecutive starts allowing 3 runs or fewer ended at 16...Time of Game: 3:54...Infante stole two bags, giving him six on the year...Miami's bullpen gave up nine runs -- seven earned -- on eight hits and three walks in 3 2/3 frames...San Francisco's relievers allowed four runs on six hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings.
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