SAN FRANCISCO — Hunter Pence emphatically clenched both fists as he crossed home plate, letting out a guttural scream as the Giants took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh.
Andrew McCutchen had just scorched a single threw the left side past a diving Paul DeJong, easily scoring the pinch-running Pence from second with one out.
An offense-starved Giants team didn’t exactly emerge from their slump just yet, but another efficient outing from Dereck Rodriguez on the hill, if anything, gave the bats a chance. The home lineup took a while to take advantage with the Cardinals only scoring one run through six frames, but a Pablo Sandoval sixth-inning solo shot and McCutchen RBI knock in the next inning were enough to put the Giants ahead.