SAN DIEGO_During their first four road games of the season, the San Francisco Giants' offense mustered just two runs, both coming on solo homers from Joe Panik.
In the first inning of Thursday night's series-opener in San Diego, San Francisco scored three times, setting the stage for an offensive outburst in a 7-0 win.
The Giants' cause was aided by starter Chris Stratton, who set a career-high with seven innings of scoreless ball before reliever Derek Law took it the rest of the way.
The milestone was an important hurdle for Stratton to clear as the right-hander had three separate outings that lasted 6 and 2/3 innings over the final two months of last season. The former first round draft pick benefitted from pitching with the lead all night, as San Francisco provided Stratton with a comfortable cushion early before blowing the game open in the sixth inning.
After scoring three runs in the opening frame, the Giants greeted San Diego Padres reliever Colten Brewer with a punch to the gut in his Major League debut, capitalizing on San Diego's mistakes that left the rookie vulnerable in the top of the sixth.
With the bases loaded and two out, Andrew McCutchen hit a hard chopper to third baseman Christian Villanueva who promptly threw the ball past Eric Hosmer, allowing two runs to score. The next hitter, Buster Posey, extended his 10-game hit streak with a two-run double down the left field line to push the Giants ahead 7-0.
Brewer left his first Padres' outing beaten up, but it was his man in the corner, Villanueva, who couldn't stop the bleeding.
Six of the seven runs the Giants scored Thursday came with two outs.
Although the Giants' rotation has been decimated by injuries _the top three projected starters are all on the disabled list_ Stratton's career-best effort offered the club a glimmer of hope that it will soon have impressive pitching depth.
The Giants armed Stratton with a 3-0 lead from the moment he took the mound thanks to the first multi-run inning the offense has produced in five road games.
Left fielder Hunter Pence delivered the big blow for the Giants, smashing a 94-mile per hour fastball in on his hands into right field for a two-run single. Pence's looping liner followed an RBI groundout from Evan Longoria, which had the potential to be a 6-4-3 double play off the bat.
Longoria's hustle and a slow turn up the middle from Padres shortstop Franchy Cordero helped the Giants plate their first run, and Pence's second and third RBIs of the year allowed Stratton to take the mound with a bigger edge.
The Giants right-hander didn't allow his first hit until the bottom of the third inning, when pitcher Clayton Richard drilled a pinch hit single into right field.
It was the only hit Stratton allowed all night.
Because of erratic command, Padres starter Bryan Mitchell didn't have the opportunity to take an at-bat, but Richard looked like a position player in the batter's box.
Unfortunately for the Padres, he wasn't a capable replacement on the base paths. A Cordero line drive at Brandon Crawford sent Richard in motion, and the Giants shortstop easily doubled him off after snagging the ball in the air.
Stratton retired the final eight hitters he faced, notching four strikeouts in a 101-pitch outing that eased the pressure on the Giants' bullpen.
