Vogelsong shuts down Padres; Giants win 5th straight
SAN FRANCISCO -- Ryan Vogelsong worked seven shutout innings and received ample offensive support Tuesday night as the San Francisco Giants lengthened their three winning streaks to five overall, eight at home and three via the shutout, with a 6-0 victory over the San Diego Padres.
Having allowed four homers and six runs in three innings against the Dodgers in his start last Wednesday, Vogelsong (1-2) underwent a complete reversal. He surrendered three hits, all singles, to the National League's highest scoring team, which left the bases loaded in the sixth inning. That occurred after Matt Kemp's bid for a three-run homer died in the glove of left fielder Nori Aoki, who made a leaping catch a couple steps in front of the wall.
Padres starter Andrew Cashner (1-5) allowed six runs and seven hits in six innings. A one-out walk to Brandon Crawford, who went 3-for-3, put Cashner in trouble in the second inning as the Giants scored twice. Two errors led to a pair of unearned runs in the Giants' three-run, third-inning outburst. Joe Panik added a fifth-inning homer.
Video: SD@SF: Panik takes Cashner deep for a solo dinger
"Tonight was really disappointing," Cashner said. "Every time I pitch, I expect better than that. I was able to go six innings. But we've got to go seven or eight innings. I just couldn't get my fastball and off-speed going early."
The Giants have now recorded three straight shutouts for the first time since they notched four in a row from June 25-28, 2012.
"It all starts with pitching," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "You can't expect this, but one thing you want is consistency."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Keeping control: Vogelsong entered the game with 11 walks in 19 1/3 innings but issued just two free passes this time, both in the sixth inning. He went to a three-ball count just once in the first five innings, further reflecting his improved command.
"I think I was trying to force balls to locations instead of just getting after every pitch and letting it do what it wanted to do," Vogelsong said. More >
Video: SD@SF: Vogelsong shuts out Padres over seven in win
Two outs don't equal an inning: Trailing 2-0, Cashner retired the first two batters he faced in the third inning before the floodgates opened. He allowed two hits, a walk and then two runs scored when first baseman Yangervis Solarte saw a ball skip under his glove and into right field for a 5-0 lead. More>
Video: SD@SF: Crawford goes the opposite way for RBI single
Aoki earns an 'A': The Padres had a chance to make the game competitive in the sixth inning, when they put two runners aboard with one out. Kemp ripped a promising drive to left field, but Aoki tracked the ball skillfully, timed his leap perfectly and hauled it in, a couple of steps in front of the wall.
Where's the offense?: The Padres, who entered this series with the most runs in the National League, have scuffled in the first two games. Going back to Sunday, they've gone 20 innings without scoring a run. Their best chance to score came in the sixth, but Vogelsong got Derek Norris to ground out to end the frame. More >
Video: SD@SF: Vogelsong induces a forceout to end the threat
QUOTABLE
"We hit the ball on the nose a number of times but to no avail. We're just not stringing them together right now." -- Padres manager Bud Black on the loss and his team's streak of 20 consecutive innings without a run
Video: SD@SF: Aoki hauls in a sliding grab in left
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
The Padres haven't always played the best defense this season, especially when Cashner is on the mound. He lost his fifth game of the season on Tuesday, but some of that has to do with the play behind him. Cashner has now allowed a Major League-leading 10 unearned runs.
Video: SD@SF: Belt, Crawford score on Solarte's error
WHAT'S NEXT
Padres: Ian Kennedy gets the start in the series finale at 12:45 p.m. PT on Wednesday. Kennedy's first start against the Giants on April 9 was cut short after he left the game in the third inning with a strained left hamstring.
Giants: Chris Heston will try to sustain the Giants' stretch of excellent starting pitching on Wednesday when he makes his first appearance of the season against San Diego. Heston's 2.51 ERA is the lowest by a Giants rookie through five starts since Madison Bumgarner's 2.41 mark in 2010.
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