Leake pitches, hits Giants to 10-3 victory over Padres
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — It took a little longer than he would have liked, but Mike Leake finally won a game for the Giants.
"He's pitched well enough enough to win a few more," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "We've had a hard time scoring runs for him. He took it upon himself to find a way."
Leake pitched six strong innings and hit a three-run homer to help the San Francisco Giants complete a three-game sweep with a 10-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
"I've never worried about this team," Leake said. "It's a good lineup. I had a good feeling about today."
Buster Posey drove in two runs for the Giants, who have won six of eight. Ehire Adrianza, Marlon Byrd, Angel Pagan and Matt Duffy also drove in runs.
Leake (10-8) allowed three runs and four hits over six-plus innings. He walked two and struck out two.
"I was up in the zone in the first inning and had to bear down," Leake said. "I had to be a little more fine with my pitches."
Travis Jankowski hit his first major league home run for the Padres, who have lost four straight and eight of 10 overall. Brett Wallace and Jedd Gyorko also drove in runs.
"I'm really happy for him," Padres manager Pat Murphy said. "It hasn't been the easiest transition for him. With Melvin (Upton, Jr.) playing so good it's hard to give him every single day at bats. It's tough on Travis. I'm proud of the way he's hung in there."
Odrisamer Despaigne (5-9), pressed into service when Colin Rea was scratched, lasted 3 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on five hits. Despaigne, who threw two innings during Friday night's game, walked one and struck out four.
The Padres jumped on Leake, who pitched for San Diego manager Pat Murphy at Arizona State, for two runs in the first inning. Yangervis Solarte led off with a triple and scored on Gyorko's grounder. Justin Upton also tripled and scored on Wallace's double.
Jankowski made it 3-0 with hi homer in the second.
"Honestly, any home run I hit is kind of a mistake," Janklowski said. "I got a pitch I could handle and it carried out."
The Giants rallied in the bottom of the second, getting Adrianza's RBI single ahead of Leake's three-run homer. Leake became the fourth pitcher to hit a home run for the Giants this season, joining Madison Bumgarner, Tim Hudson and Ryan Vogelsong.
"I look at myself as an offensive threat," Leake said. "Any time you retake the lead, it's a little sense of relief."
The Giants added two runs in the fifth on a fielding error by the Padres and Posey's double. They tacked on two more in the eighth without getting a hit. The first four Giants walked, with Posey forcing home a run. Byrd later added a sacrifice fly.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: RHP Colin Rea, scratched from Sunday's game, is OK to pitch, though Murphy said he want to make sure he's fully recovered from right shoulder soreness before he takes the mound again. "He's available as soon as we want him to be," Murphy said. "It was more of a precautionary measure. You probably won't see him any time soon." Murphy said Rea will likely be used out of the bullpen for the rest of the season.
Giants: SS Brandon Crawford (sore back) was scheduled to hit off a batting tee and play catch. ... OF Hunter Pence (strained left oblique) is scheduled to hit off a batting tee on Monday. He ran on a treadmill Saturday.
UP NEXT
Padres: RHP James Shields (11-6, 3.90) has won three of his last four decisions after losing five of six. He still has an ERA of 4.95 over his last four starts as he opens a three-game set in Arizona on Monday night. Shields is 1-1 against the Diamondbacks this year despite giving up nine runs in 12 innings against them.
Giants: RHP Tim Hudson (7-8, 4.51) starts against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night. He's 5-2 with an ERA of 3.08 in nine career starts against the Reds.