Cardinals draw on deep reservoir of talent to lead baseball

Bumgarner is 1 for 5 as a pinch-hitter in his career after cashing in on his first chance this year. He wasn’t “looking for home runs”.

While talking about Bumgarner, Bochy admitted that he considered using the slugging pitcher as the DH during the last game in Arlington last month. His only other pinch hit this season came Tuesday, when he got a base hit and scored a run to help the Giants during their late game comeback. Grichuk is batting. 284 with 15 homers and 44 RBIs in 85 video games. 500 for the first time since June 23. “It was the two walks after it”.

Lynn is 0-4 with a 6.18 ERA in six career starts against San Francisco, losing all three in the regular season with a 7.98 ERA.

Davis teed off on the first pitch from Marlins starter Tom Koehler (8-11) in the second for a two-run homer and then did it again in the third to tie the game at 5-5 with a three-run homer.

In addition to reaching the century mark in round-trippers, 30 of those have broken a tie game and 61 have been solo shots.

Vogelsong had already pitched six scoreless innings that night but hadn’t done anything behind the plate.

He had just watched Strickland buzz through two teammates to end the seventh inning with a 99 miles per hour fastball. He set a career record for losses in a season – he was 8-12 with Tampa Bay in 2009. But there’s little any skipper can do if he has to run a pitcher out there to hit with the game on the line.

Martin Maldonado put Milwaukee 7-6 ahead with a two-run single off Koehler.

The defending champs may not have a couple of weeks to spare, however, as they chase the Dodgers for the division title and the Pirates and Cubs for a Wild Card. The right-hander faced the Giants for the first time since allowing an NL championship series-ending homer to Travis Ishikawa last fall in his first appearance of the postseason. Austin Hedges followed with a double for a 2-1 lead.

It was Yadier Molina who delivered that spark in a huge way this series. That was nearly Piscotty’s second home run of the night, but he was robbed in the 1st by an incredible catch by Juan Perez. He’s won just one of his five starts since a trade from Oakland. Odrisamer Despaigne did it last season. His only big mistake was allowing a home run to former Padres outfielder Cameron Maybin leading off the fourth, his 10th. This happened with two outs and no one on base.

Clevenger, who was called up Friday from triple-A Norfolk, got his first homer since June 29, 2012. Leake has missed 3 starts now and really hurts the Giants because they don’t have a legitimate number 2 starter.

Jason Heyward made his first start of the year in center field, but was taken out after two innings due to left hamstring tightness.

Fernando Salas (3-1) pitched one inning for the victory.

Siegrist (4-0, 1.48) and Rosenthal (37th save) were the pitchers of note in the box score for St. Louis, who extended their lead in the division after the Diamondbacks went into PNC Park and took down Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates.