Baggs' Instant Replay: Giants 8, Padres 3

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCOThe Giants streak of six errorless games went up like a palm tree soaked in jet fuel.They committed four errors Thursday afternoon and made a fifth mistake when first baseman Brandon Belt and pitcher Matt Cain got in each others way on a bunt single.But hows this for a novelty? The Giants masqueraded as a slugging American League team and used some punch to outhit their mistakes. Buster Posey crushed a solo homer, Angel Pagan hit a two-run shot and little leadoff man Gregor Blanco went deep for the second consecutive day. The Giants tied a season high with 15 hits and scored a couple unearned runs of their own, too, while taking advantage of the San Diego Padres all-around poor play to claim an 8-3 victory at Petco Park.The three-homer game was the Giants first since April 11, when Nate Schierholtz hit a pair and Brandon Crawford went deep at Coors Field.After taking two of three in the series at Petco, the Giants hold the major leagues best record since May 5. They are 21-11 over that span, including nine wins in their last 11 games.Starting pitching reportCain (7-2) persevered through the imperfection over seven innings to win his sixth consecutive start, matching a career high. He also improved to 76-75 in his career. Cain gave up three runsall unearnedwhile moving over .500 for the first time since he was a 22-year-old pup.Cain did not have it easy. The Giants gave back nearly all of their 4-0 lead in the third inning when they committed two errors and the Padres squared up a few balls. Pagan dropped Cameron Maybins fly ball to the warning track and second baseman Ryan Theriot made a poor decision when he fielded a grounder and tried for the out at the plate despite the Giants holding a four-run edge. He skipped his throw for an error as a run scored. Theriots decision led to another run when Chase Headley followed with a two-run double. But Cain got a pair of fly outs to keep the tying run from scoring.Cain had to pull a few more escapes, none more difficult than the sixth inning when the Padres loaded the bases with no outs. Jeff Baker reached when third baseman Joaquin Arias fumbled his check-swing roller for an error. After Logan Forsythe singled, Everth Cabrera reached on a bunt hit when Belt cut in front of Cain and threw late to first base.But Cain got pinch hitter Mark Kotsay to fly out to shallow left field, then he induced a double-play grounder from Maybin to end the inning.The Padres entered the game with a major league worst .190 average with runners in scoring position, and it didnt go up. They were 2-for-12 against Cain in RBI situations.Perhaps it shouldve been a predictable result. Cain entered the game with a major league best .134 opponents average with runners in scoring position.Cain struck out two with runners at the corners to escape the first inning. He saved himself with his glove, too, when he snared Maybins line drive with a runner at second base in the fourth.Bullpen reportSantiago Casilla made his first appearance since he sustained a bone bruise on Friday, and he was available in just the nick of time. He came on in the eighth after Jeremy Affeldt loaded the bases on a walk, a single and a hit batter, and got Maybin to ground out.Casilla created his own bases-loaded jam in the ninth but Arias made a remarkable stop of a hot smash down the line and made a strong, swift, spinning throw in time to retire Forsythe to end it.At the plateThe Giants used home run power to add to their lead, but a Padres error was at the heart of a two-run first inning.Pitcher Jason Marquis threw wide and shortstop Everth Cabrera couldnt reach across his body while staying on the bag as an easy fielders choice went awry. The Giants took advantage, as Posey hit an RBI single up the middle and Brandon Belt lifted an RBI double into the right field corner.Blanco doubled and scored on Theriots single in the second inning, and the Giants did the rest of their damage with the longball.Theriot was 7-for-11 in the series after collecting hits in each of his first three at-bats.Pagans homer in the seventh extended his hitting streak to 15 games. He also owns 10- and 20-game streaks this season, and has hit safely in 46 of his last 48 games.In fieldThe litany of errors included Belts misplay of a soft grounder down the line in the first inning, Pagans drop, Theriots skipped throw in the third and Arias misplay in the sixth.It was the first time the Giants committed four or more errors and still managed to win since May 5, 2007, against the Phillies. They prevailed 9-4 that day.To find another instance of a four-error victory in Giants history, youd have to go back to a 1999 game at Montreal.AttendanceThe Padres announced 22,015 paid. It looked like 10,000 of them were wearing orange and black and 10,000 more were dressed as empty seats.Up nextThe Giants play host to the Texas Rangers for the first time since the 2010 World Series. Itll be left-hander Matt Harrison (7-3, 4.37) vs. left-hander Barry Zito (5-2, 2.98).The Rangers had lefty Derek Holland scheduled to pitch Sunday, but he was placed on the disabled list. So Texas will start hard-throwing right-hander Alexi Ogando in his place.