Instant Replay: Crawford, Giants pound their way past Padres

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SAN FRANCISCO — Before Tuesday’s game, manager Bruce Bochy shrugged when asked if he was concerned about a two-week slump by his lineup. The Giants were winning with pitching and defense, Bochy said, and that was just fine with a manager who figured the hitting would come around eventually.

Well, the lineup finally broke through — and once again the Giants got strong pitching and defense. It all added up to an 8-2 win over the Padres that was the 12th in 13 games for the Giants. The eight-run performance was the first for the lineup since a 9-6 win in Cincinnati on May 2.

Jeff Samardzija didn’t have any clean innings, but he didn’t really have any particularly tough ones, either. He put a runner on in each of the first five innings but didn’t allow a run until the sixth, when Jon Jay ambushed the first pitch of the frame and dropped a homer into the arcade section in right field.

The Giants led 1-0 at the time on Denard Span’s RBI single, and they would tack on a pair in the sixth. Joe Panik drew a leadoff walk and scored two batters later when Buster Posey smacked a double into the left field corner. Posey scored on Brandon Crawford’s single to right. 

Samardzija wouldn’t make it out of the seventh, getting lifted after a single and walk with two outs. Josh Osich entered and made an error that loaded the bases. He went 3-2 on Alexi Amarista, but got an inning-ending grounder to second. 

The Giants broke open a two-run game in the bottom of the eighth. Brandon Crawford hit a bases-clearing triple after a double and two walks, and Jarrett Parker followed that up with a two-run blast to dead center. 

Starting pitching report: Samardzija gave up six hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings, walking three and striking out seven. He has pitched 71 innings this season, more than any National League starters but teammate Johnny Cueto and a robot named Clayton Kershaw. 

Bullpen report: After Amarista’s groundout, opposing hitters are just 2-for-19 off Osich this season with runners in scoring position. 

At the plate: Blanco always picks his game up when Angel Pagan hits the DL, so it was no surprise when he singled and scored on a great slide in the third and then beat out an infield single in the seventh. 

In the field: Parker is known for his powerful bat, but he showed off a strong arm to get Samardzija out of the first. Matt Kemp hit a screamer off the wall in left, missing a homer by inches, and Parker made a perfect throw to second to nail Kemp. The former Dodgers star led off the eighth with a ball off the wall in Triples Alley, but Panik made a perfect relay throw to cut down Kemp as he slid into third.

Attendance: The Giants announced a crowd of 41,772 human beings, including Marlins Man, who apparently has lost a considerable amount of juice. 

Up next: Jake Peavy will try to get on track against the punchless Padres. James Shields starts for the other side. 

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