Giants wallop four homers in romp vs. Padres

March 19th, 2016

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Brandon Crawford hit a three-run home run and the Giants got two-run shots from Denard Span, Buster Posey and Hunter Pence as they rolled to a 15-6 victory over the Padres on Friday night at Scottsdale Stadium.
Padres starter Brandon Maurer gave up all 10 runs the Giants scored in the first two innings. Giants starter Matt Cain, making his spring debut, batted eighth and had a pair of singles in a lineup of position players that could be what they have on the field for Opening Day.
Seven of the Giants' first 10 batters scored as Crawford's second homer of the spring highlighted a four-run first and Cain's single up the middle to lead off the second kicked off a six-run frame. Maurer allowed 10 earned runs on nine hits while lasting only 1 1/3 innings.

"I like where we are right now offensively," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "We're getting some better swings and some better at-bats up there."
Cain, who had a cyst removed from his pitching arm earlier this spring, gave up three earned runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings as he tries to play catch-up to get ready for the start of the season after his setback.
Padres right fielder Matt Kemp blasted a homer to lead off the third against Cain, and Alexi Amarista had a triple into the right-field corner in the second.

Span added a two-run triple in the fourth inning in his second game in the field of the spring. He bounced back well from a bone bruise in his right shoulder sustained in his first game in center field Wednesday.

Maurer, who spent 2015 in the bullpen, is fighting for one of the two available spots at the back end of the Padres' rotation. He did himself no favors Friday night, especially considering the fact that all three of the home runs he allowed came on changeups. Having spent most of '15 as a fastball/slider pitcher, the changeup is essentially the third pitch he's going to need to master if he hopes to transition to the starting five.
"My changeup was horrible today," Maurer said afterward. "I was just getting outside of it. It had no depth. It just kind of floated in there."
The Padres got a homer from Jon Jay leading off the seventh, and Jemile Weeks tripled home a run in the eighth before scoring on Travis Jankowski's single. All three runs were charged to Chris Heston, who went 3 2/3 innings and struck out four.

Padres Up Next:Colin Rea continues his quest for one of the two available rotation spots when the Padres host the Rockies on Saturday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. PT. Rea, the club's No. 6 prospect, has been sharp so far this spring, having allowed one run on five hits in nine innings. He'll be looking to cut down his walks, as he's already given out five free passes in Cactus League play.
Giants Up Next: Lefty ace Madison Bumgarner is back in action Saturday after missing a start with left foot and rib-cage issues. He made two appearances, allowing four earned runs over five innings, before he was scratched from his Sunday start with the ailments. With Bumgarner back on track, the entire Giants rotation will be healthy for the first time this spring.