Chicks dig the long ball, a timeless saying in baseball lore. For a while during the Giants slump, it seemed as though they could not get the long ball going, that was anything but the case in this series.
The Giants on Friday night started out with a bang as Pablo Sandoval hit a 2-run homerun in the first inning, he also had two other hits and three total RBI in the night game. Crawford and Lincecum each tacked on an RBI of their own, and combined with another stellar Lincecum outing, the Giants went on to win 5-0.
Saturday afternoon provided us with a completely different story line. The Giants were unable to get anything going on offense, meanwhile Vogelsong who looked strong throughout most of his outing did have a few shaky moments, but only gave up two runs. Unfortunately, it was two too many, and it wasn't Vogelsong's fault. The offense has now been unable to score in the last four Vogelsong starts. Giants lose, 2-0.
Sunday afternoon started out as if the Giants offense had been depleted yet again, as Bumgarner was going through some tough innings as well but was manging to get the job done. Support did come in a big way for him though in the bottom of the fifth, as Posey launched his 10th homerum of the season, and a grand slam at that. Bumgarner helped himself out the next inning by getting his second grand slam of the year. The D-Backs rallied late against a tired Bumgarner, but the bullpen came in to help bail out Bumgarner and the Giants would go on to win the game, 8-4.
Because Bumgarner started today, he will not be allowed to play in the All-Star Game on Tuesday, and fellow Giant starter Tim Hudson will take his place. The announcement for Hudson was made during the game, and it was expected long before the game started that he would be the replacement.
This is the third time the Giants have had two grand slams in one game, and this is the first time in MLB history that a pitcher and catcher have had a grand slam in the same game. If there's one thing the Giants have not lacked in this season, it's making baseball history.
The Giants will now have a long break to look forward to, especially after spending the last few weeks in a slump. Hudson will be joined by rightfielder Hunter Pence in the All-Star Game, but they will still be able to enjoy some time off. The Giants next series will be against the Florida Marlins, as they start with a seven game set on the road.