San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) – Pablo Sandoval went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored as the San Francisco Giants took an 8-4 decision over the New York Mets in the third of a four-game set.
Buster Posey hit a solo home run and scored twice while Andres Torres added a three-run home run for the Giants, who have won five straight and nine of their last 10. Matt Cain (7-8) went seven innings in the start and was charged with two runs on four hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
Ike Davis hit a two-run homer and a solo homer while David Wright drove the other run in for the Mets, who have dropped six of seven. Hisanori Takahashi (7-4) was tagged for six runs on seven hits in just 2 2/3 innings of work.
“He’s given up a number of runs in bunches,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel said of Takahashi. “Those things are sometimes difficult to defend or overcome. We have to sit down and evaluate it, look at it, and discuss it. And we’ll try to make the best decision for the team.”
The Giants struck in the second inning to the tune of five runs. Posey doubled to leadoff and Pat Burrell followed with a walk. Consecutive RBI singles from Juan Uribe and Sandoval brought home two runs and Torres later blasted a pitch out of the park over the left field wall for a 5-0 lead.
Posey hit a solo homer in the third to extend San Francisco’s lead to 6-0.
“He has a great swing up there,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of Posey. “I said this earlier: his bat stays in the zone quite a while. That’s what enables him to get that carry on the ball to right-center or right field like he does.”
Cain limited the Mets to just two hits and a walk over the first six innings, but Carlos Beltran led off the seventh with a triple and Davis followed with a homer to right to make it a 6-2 game.
The Giants, though, got the runs back in the bottom of the seventh on a two- run double from Sandoval for an 8-2 lead.
A sacrifice fly off the bat of Wright in the eighth scored Josh Thole to get the Mets to within five runs.
Davis led off the ninth with a solo home run over the wall in center to account for the final score.
Cain snapped a five-start winless streak during which he went 0-4…San Fran has taken four of six against New York this season…Johan Santana takes the mound for the Mets in the series finale on Sunday and will be opposed by Jonathan Sanchez.