SAN FRANCISCO — It turns out the pole-vaulting bump works on the road, too.
The Giants hammered the Pirates 13-5 on the first night of a road trip, winning their fourth straight game. Johnny Cueto was far from his best stuff-wise or command-wise, but he battled and the lineup backed him all night with a season-high 18 hits.
The four-game win streak is just the second of the season, but here, we’re all about fives. So here are five things to know from a game that was not pace-of-play friendly …
— With two in scoring position and one out in the fifth, Bruce Bochy visited the mound. The manager still cares about pitcher wins and he let Cueto try to get through five. Cueto rewarded the faith. He got a grounder to third and then got Chris Stewart to bounce out to second on his 114th pitch. The 36-pitch inning ended Cueto’s night. He looked up at the sky and gave thanks as he walked off the field. Later, the win became official.
—Denard Span entered the night with a .353 batting average in June and Gerrit Cole and the bullpen couldn’t slow him down. Span had four hits, including a leadoff homer in the first, raising his average to .298. He also drew a walk. Span finished with 40 hits in June.
— Hunter Pence drove in five runs for the first time since a seven-RBI game in Los Angeles in late 2013. The five-RBI night was the seventh of Pence’s career.
— Ryder Jones singled up the middle in the seventh to pick up his first MLB hit and snap an 0 for 17. He couldn’t hide his smile. Jones scored on Pence’s single three batters later. Jones later lined out to first … the bad luck didn’t completely turn in one night.
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— Dan Slania made his big league debut in the bottom of the ninth and had a perfect frame. He'll now battle Jones for the lineup card.
