Giants overpower Cardinals

ST. LOUIS – Trade deadline acquisitions Hunter Pence and Marco Scutaro credited the Giants' chemistry with making it easy to get acclimated to a new clubhouse. But you could forgive Pence and Scutaro if they are still a bit perplexed by what they've seen on the field.

The Giants' lineup, long known for a lack of production, has turned into a powerhouse away from pitcher-friendly AT&T Park. Pence and Scutaro helped lead the charge Wednesday night as the Giants routed the St. Louis Cardinals 15-0.

It was the franchise's largest shutout win since May 24, 2000, and the most lopsided in more than 100 years of facing the Cardinals. With their latest double-digit outburst, the Giants are the league's leading team in road scoring at 5.18 runs per game.

"It's been incredible to watch," said Pence, who had two early RBI singles. "It's just been good at-bats all the way up and down the lineup."

Said Scutaro, who hit a ninth-inning grand slam to cap his seven-RBI game: "Nights like this are always welcome. You see the lineup we have, and I don't see any reason we can't keep doing this."

Manager Bruce Bochy feels the same way, and he said Pence and Scutaro will continue to be part of the answer. Pence has settled in as the No. 5 hitter, and Scutaro moved up to No. 2 Wednesday, when he had three hits to raise his average as a Giant to .347.

"We've always thought a lot of Marco," Bochy said. "It's nice to have him on this club. Right now, sure, he'll continue to be out there."

Bochy said Scutaro's defensive flexibility means the Giants can use him all over the infield when Pablo Sandoval returns from a hamstring injury, perhaps as soon as Sunday. But with the way the Giants are hitting of late, it might be hard to figure out which player to pull on any given day.

The league's second-lowest-scoring team in home games has scored 56 runs while winning five of the first six games on this trip, and the Giants have done their damage with one big inning after another. The sixth inning Wednesday included five runs and four hits.

The Giants tacked on four runs in the eighth, two on Scutaro's single. Ahead 11-0 in the ninth, they loaded the bases in front of Scutaro. The under-the-radar acquisition crushed a Mitchell Boggs fastball into the left-field stands, becoming the first Giant since Jeff Kent in 2001 to drive in seven runs in one game.

Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong gave up only three hits in his seven innings and lowered his league-leading ERA to 2.27.

Note – Bobby Evans, the Giants' vice president of baseball operations, confirmed a CBSSports.com report that the team and Melky Cabrera's agent have tabled contract discussions until after the season. The two sides briefly had conceptual discussions in July.

Cabrera, a pending free agent, said he likes playing in San Francisco but is focusing on baseball for now.

"I'd love to stay here," he said through a translator. "But I'm not worried about anything other than helping this team win and make the playoffs. That's the main goal."

• Read more articles by Alex Pavlovic

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