Newly recalled Velez helps S.F. slip past Pirates
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants finally got the power they've been seeking to shake up their offense. It just came from an unlikely source.
Eugenio Velez, who was recalled from the minors a day earlier, homered for the first time in nearly a year and added a tie-breaking RBI double in the sixth inning and the Giants stayed hot at home with a 3-2 victory over the Pirates Tuesday.
"He's got all the tools," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's been swinging the bat well in (the minors) and he brought it up here. Sometimes it takes time, playing time, for all that to surface."
Pablo Sandoval, Bengie Molina and Juan Uribe had two hits each for the Giants, while Sergio Romo (3-1) pitched a third of an inning for the win, the Giants' seventh in their last nine games at AT&T Park.
Brian Wilson pitched a scoreless ninth for his 26th save and San Francisco improved to 20-7 at home since May 25.
The Giants thought they were adding much-needed power by acquiring right-handed hitting first baseman Ryan Garko from Cleveland Monday, but it was Velez, their diminutive utility player, who provided the big blow to break up a pitchers duel between Pittsburgh's Charlie Morton and Barry Zito of the Giants.
Velez hit a solo homer off Morton with two outs in the second, then doubled in the sixth to drive in Fred Lewis and put the Giants ahead 2-1. It was Velez's first homer since Aug. 30, 2008.
Ryan Doumit and Luis Cruz each had two hits for the Pirates, who have lost four straight and five of six.
Zito pitched well but wasn't around for the decision. The left-hander, who lost to the Pirates on July 18, allowed one run and nine hits in 5X\c innings before giving way to Romo with two runners on in the sixth.
Romo struck out Andrew McCutchen to end the threat.
Morton (2-3) took the loss despite giving up two runs and six hits in six innings. The Pirates' righty, who tossed seven shutout innings to beat the Giants 10 days earlier, struck out five and walked three while throwing a season-high 107 pitches.
"I felt like I was aggressive at times in a way that I really hadn't been with my fastball," Morton said. "I got out of some jams but the way I got into those jams really was frustrating. Velez was a thorn in my side tonight and I just didn't get him out."
Pittsburgh led 1-0 when McCutchen hit Zito's first pitch of the game down the left field line for a double and scored on Delwyn Young's bloop single.
San Francisco added a run in the seventh when Andres Torres doubled and scored on Sandoval's single.
The Pirates scored a run off reliever Jeremy Affeldt in the eighth to make it 3-2.
Notes: An MRI performed Monday revealed Giants' LHP Randy Johnson has a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder. Bochy said Johnson won't be able to resume throwing for at least three weeks. The team moved him to the 60-day DL.
