Inside-the-park homer helps in Giants' shutout
SAN FRANCISCO — Aubrey Huff saw teammate Mark DeRosa spread out on the ground signaling him to slide into home, so he obliged. At last, Huff had the inside-the-park home run he's long coveted.
"I was already gassed, so I really didn't need that," Huff said.
"He could have come in standing up," teammate Eli Whiteside said with a grin.
Huff made his first homer with the Giants an exciting one and Jonathan Sanchez struck out 11, leading San Francisco past the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-0 on Wednesday.
Whiteside hit a three-run shot later in the second inning and Aaron Rowand hit a two-run shot a few innings after them.
Huff's homer highlighted the day. He hardly considers himself a speedster — he tried to steal six times last year and was caught all six times.
"When I hit it, I thought it was gone anyway. In most parks it is," Huff said. "I saw it bounce off the wall and as soon as I rounded first I saw it took an amazing hop right. I'm like: 'Oh boy, here we go. If I am going to hit one out I'm going to try to get a cheapie."'
Sanchez (1-0) matched his career best with 11 Ks in eight scoreless innings. The Giants improved to 7-2, their best start since beginning 8-1 in 2003 — their last playoff season.
Huff led off the second with a drive that hit the arch on the facade in right-center, known in the pitcher-friendly park as Triples Alley. The ball ricocheted into right field and gave Huff ample time to round the bases.
Huff slid into home, gratuitously, for his first homer of the year as San Francisco's new cleanup hitter. He received plenty of warnings about how hard it is to clear the fences in AT&T Park.
The Giants' Nate Schierholtz hit the last inside-the-park homer here last June 14 against Oakland. Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki had one during the 2007 All-Star Game at AT&T Park.
It was the fourth inside-the-park homer in regular-season history at the ballpark, which opened in 2000.
"Usually that ball's supposed to kick toward center like the next one did," Pirates manager John Russell said. "There's no fault whatsoever. It hit the archway and kicked the other way."
Sanchez, who pitched a no-hitter against San Diego last July 10, held the Pirates to three hits. He allowed a single to Lastings Milledge in the first and not another hit until Ronny Cedeno's double to start the sixth.
Sanchez escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth on the way to his first career win over Pittsburgh in five appearances.
Charlie Morton (0-2) endured another rough day in his second start of the year.
With a 21.60 ERA coming in, the right-hander was tagged for six runs and eight hits in six innings.
Notes: Pirates RHP Ross Ohlendorf likely will be scratched for his scheduled start Saturday vs. the Reds because of back spasms that began Friday. He had been set to throw a bullpen session Wednesday but only played catch instead. "He felt good, but it's pretty unlikely he'll pitch Saturday," manager John Russell said. Ohlendorf could be headed for the DL.
