Krukow: If Span gets hot, Giants may ‘take off'

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Programming note: Giants-Nationals coverage starts today at 3:30pm with Giants Pregame Live on CSN Bay Area.

Denard Span went 3-for-4 on Thursday and his solo blast in the 10th lifted the Giants to a 3-2 victory.

Over the three-game series in Philadelphia, he racked up seven hits, four runs and stole two bases.

"We've been waiting, and we've been wondering -- what's it gonna be to kick this guy in?" Mike Krukow said on KNBR 680 on Friday morning. "In our postgame interview yesterday, he said in his last at-bat -- it was a pinch-hit at-bat against Washington back in San Francisco -- he discovered something.

"And he took it into this series here against Philly. He had seven hits in those three days and he could have had 10. He really swung the bat well."

[PAVLOVIC: Rewind: Span, Moore get Giants back on winning track]

Over the winter, the Giants signed Span to a 3-year deal that pays him an average of $11 million annually. 

In his first game in Orange and Black, he hit a home run and knocked in five runs.

But over 90 games from April 5 to July 28, Span hit just .251 with three home runs and 26 RBI.

"As it often will hapen with veterans, there's not a lot you can tell them," Krukow explained. "When you play this game long enough, you're your own coach. You can listen to what people say, but inside you know when you're right. You know when you're not right.

"And all of a sudden something kicks, it can really trigger you into a hot streak. For the Giants, that's exactly what they need. They need some big guys to get hot at the same time. They really haven't had that all year long.

The Orange and Black had the best record in baseball at the All-Star break, 57-33. But they are 5-13 in their last 18 games and lead the Dodgers by just two games in the NL West.

"If you get the top of your lineup going, because Pagan is having a good year, and if you get those two guys going, bang bang, to set the table, you're gonna see this team take off," Krukow said.

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