Crushed ? pic.twitter.com/fYga6v9KTZ
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 24, 2019
By PAUL ATTFIELD
TORONTO (AP) — Pablo Sandoval went 3-for-4 and homered for the first time this year, one of a season-high four home runs for San Francisco, and the offensively challenged Giants outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6 on Tuesday night.
Joe Panik homered and drove in three runs, and Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt also went deep for the Giants, who came in 29th in the majors in batting and ahead of just one team in home runs. It was San Francisco’s first four-homer game since July 4, 2018, against Arizona.
Absolutely BELTED. pic.twitter.com/gTqCSKNike
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 24, 2019
Rowdy Tellez hit his first career grand slam for the Blue Jays, whose four-game winning streak was snapped.
San Francisco’s Kevin Pillar drove in the opening run in his first game against the team that traded him away on April 2.
Jeff Samardzija (2-1) allowed two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings, improving to 3-0 in four starts against the Blue Jays. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out four. Will Smith worked a perfect ninth for his sixth save.
Toronto’s Trent Thornton (0-3) lasted five innings in his fifth major league start, giving up four earned runs off of six hits, striking out five.
The Blue Jays trailed 7-2 before Tellez’s one-out, bases-loaded bash in the eighth off Tony Watson, who stayed on and finished the inning.
Belt’s home run off Thomas Pannone, which hit the facade of the third deck in right field, was his fifth of the season, and it broke an 0-for-15 run against left-handed pitching.
Panik’s solo shot in the fifth inning was his first of the year, and he doubled in two runs in the third. Sandoval slugged one over the center-field fence in the eighth.
Samardzija had retired 10 straight batters before Eric Sogard took him deep to lead off the sixth. He was pulled with two runners on after throwing 85 pitches, and Mark Melancon worked out of the jam.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: The team announced Tuesday that top prospect Bo Bichette broke a bone in his left hand after being hit by a pitch while batting for Triple-A Buffalo on Monday. The shortstop will visit a hand specialist to determine a course of treatment. … Manager Charlie Montoyo believes RHP Aaron Sanchez will be able to make his scheduled start on Saturday despite the cracked fingernail that forced him out of Sunday’s game after four innings. … LHP Ryan Borucki (left elbow) and RHP John Axford (right elbow) will both be re-evaluated on Friday. … RHP David Phelps is scheduled to throw his second bullpen session on Saturday as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery last year. … LHP Clayton Richard (right knee) is continuing his long-toss program and is set to undergo his first bullpen session this weekend.
UP NEXT
Giants: LHP Drew Pomeranz (0-2, 4.82 ERA) makes his fifth start of the season and ninth of his career against Toronto. He is 2-1 with a 3.76 ERA in six games at Rogers Centre.
Blue Jays: RHP Clay Buchholtz (0-0, 3.38) will aim for his first win as a Blue Jay. He is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in four career starts against San Francisco.
