Giants rough up Strasburg, end Nats’ run

Matt Cain validated the coaching staff’s decision to keep him in the rotation over Jake Peavy, Eduardo Nez had the breakout night that might allow him to settle in with his new club, Hunter Pence took a foul ball to the face and kept playing with a black eye that nearly required a cut man, and the Giants toppled an ace who held batters to a.127 average in July while winning N.L. Pitcher of the Month honors.

Asked how it happened, Baker said, “You can wake up in the morning and it’s an issue”. Lately, Baker even told the gregarious Gonzalez to be less friendly on the mound. San Francisco hasn’t won two straight roads game since June 30 and July 1.

Nez missed hitting for the cycle by the length of a Louisville Slugger, but his night included another special accomplishment: He joined Will Clark as the only Giants in the San Francisco era to hit two triples and a double in the same game. He’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball all year long, and when he starts, he and his team are usually in for a good night. ‘We’ll get you out of there. “Hopefully it’s over, never to return”.

Meanwhile, the Nationals’ offense, which came to life against the lifeless Arizona pitching staff, continued to produce against the slumping Giants.

Trea Turner has a four game hitting streak, of which three of those four games have been multi-hit performances.

The Giants remain atop the NL West, though their lead is dwindling.

But one switch has been his teammates have provided more offense, and that was the case again Friday night. Such was Gonzalez’s precision for much of his start.

“He’s a good pitcher and he pitched well”, said Bruce Bochy, the Giants manager.

In New York, Starlin Castro hit a third-inning grand slam off Josh Tomlin that gave the Yankees a six-run lead, Mark Teixeira got two hits after tearfully announcing this will be his final big league season and the hosts topped Cleveland. Instead, he lasted only 4 2/3 innings in his shortest outing this year, giving up four runs and eight hits. They scored two runs or fewer in seven of his past 13 starts. He led off with a double and advanced to third on a double play grounder but was stranded when Bryce Harper struck out for the second time.

Nunez became just the second player since the Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958 to post two triples and a double in the same game.

Two of the balls were knocked completely out of play: the fifth-inning homer by Turner and Ramos’ career-high 17th in the sixth. He retired 15 in a row during one stretch and won his fifth straight decision. Over those starts, his ERA is 2.03.

Gonzalez’s delivery looked in rhythm, and his control stayed put. When he walked Eduardo Nunez with two outs in the first, he did not let things escalate – he just promptly picked him off. Though he struck out seven, he also let hitters get themselves out as his manager hoped he would – like the 3-0 pitch he got Hunter Pence to swing at, for example. All of that amounted to 104 pitches in seven innings, a far more efficient outing than many Gonzalez has compiled this season. Since Melancon joined the club via trade, the Nats have not needed a save opportunity for the newly acquired closer.

“Yeah, I mean, you make adjustments as the season goes along”, he said. When he walked into the clubhouse Friday, his arms were loaded with shoeboxes, which he delivered to teammates’ lockers for them or their families. Though he did throw a curveball over his former teammate Span’s head in the fourth, he also permitted him a single up the middle in the sixth – one of two hits the Giants would get against him. Perhaps Gonzalez still has work to do.