MIAMI _ The Giants won a baseball game Tuesday night. They took the lead over the Marlins in the seventh inning when Giancarlo Stanton put one in the seats.
Those are the facts in their 9-4 victory and there is no disputing them. Some context might be helpful, though: Stanton still plays for the Marlins, and the Giants went ahead because his throw from right field sailed out of play.
Oh, Stanton hit a home run, too. He muscled a cutter from Madison Bumgarner that traveled 432 feet and cleared the seizure-inducing home run sculpture in center field in the third inning _ his sixth consecutive game with a homer, and his major league leading 44th of the season.
But for once, the Giants didn't have to dream of a future lineup running on Stanton's diesel power. Denard Span hit a two-run home run to start their comeback and he lined the single to Stanton that put them ahead in the seventh. Ryder Jones added a solo shot down the line as the Giants outflexed their burly opponents while beating the Marlins for the first time in five games this season.
Bumgarner flashed a little power, too. He missed a home run by inches when his drive off Dan Straily struck the top of the left field wall in the fifth inning. He settled for an RBI single that got the Giants within a run, and it appeared to be a fatal mistake when Straily picked him off second base.
But the Giants outhit their mistakes, and the bottom of the order started their three-run rally in the seventh. No. 8 hitter Kelby Tomlinson singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Carlos Moncrief's pinch single. Stanton fielded Span's single and tried to gun down Moncrief at third, but there is such a thing as being too strong for one's own good. Umpires awarded Moncrief the plate as the ball rattled out of play, and Hunter Pence followed with a double that scored Span.
The rally picked up Bumgarner on a night when he battled consistency while allowing four runs on nine hits in six innings.
Bumgarner did well to escape the first inning with just one run allowed, getting a pop-up and then a fly out with two runners in scoring position in a rally that Stanton started with a line drive single.
The Bumgarner-Stanton matchup was the draw of the night, and the Marlins' chiseled slugger did not win every round. Bumgarner threw a perfect two-strike curveball that dropped under Stanton's bat in the fifth inning.
Bumgarner even came close to matching the ferocity of Stanton's contact. Stanton's home run was measured at 107 mph off the bat. Bumgarner's RBI single had an exit velocity of 103 mph.
But when it comes to power, Stanton knows no equal. He has 11 homers in his last 12 games and 23 in his last 35.
He became the first big leaguer to homer in six consecutive games since Colorado's Nolan Arenado in 2015 _ and yes, Giants pitchers were responsible for the last three games in that run.
The major league record for consecutive games with a home run is eight, set by the Pirates' Dale Long in 1956 and matched by Ken Griffey Jr. (with the Mariners in 1993) and current Marlins manager Don Mattingly (with the Yankees in 1987). He'll try to keep the streak going in Wednesday's rubber match against Matt Cain.
But speed plays, too. Span made one more contribution in a two-run ninth inning when he singled, stole third and scored on the catcher's throwing error.
It's still a longshot that the Marlins' pending new ownership group tries to trade Stanton and shed the bulk of their 10-year, $295 million commitment to him. But according to a report from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, Stanton already has cleared waivers and could be dealt to a club this month.
That only means that none of the other 29 clubs were willing to pay the full freight on Stanton. Most likely, any club that acquires him would have to provide a mix of talent and payroll obligations.
