Giants Gain Ground in Playoff Chase

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—They're not done yet. The slumping Giants bounced back in a big way with a dominating victory over the Reds on Monday night..

After losing 4 of 6 games in St. Louis and Philadelphia, the Giants returned to China Basin and looked like a different team entirely.

Matt Cain ended a three-start winless stretch after being staked to an early cushion, Andres Torres hit a two-run homer and the Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds 11-2.

“Right now we are under fire in a pennant race,” San Francisco third baseman Pablo Sandoval said. “Forget the pennant race. We need to win games right now.”

Aubrey Huff added a solo homer leading off the eighth. Huff, Pat Burrell and Freddy Sanchez all doubled in runs in the Giants’ five-run first to knock Edinson Volquez (3-2) out after 2-3 of an inning for the shortest start of his career. Sanchez finished with a season-high four hits.

Cain (10-10) retired the final 14 batters he faced and struck out the side in order in the seventh. He allowed two runs on five hits in eight innings, struck out seven and walked one.

“It’s a definite momentum builder for us,” Cain said. “We had a bad road trip, not something we wanted. It put us in a bit of a bind. We’ve got a couple people we’re chasing.”