By Darren Sabedra
Mercury News
Posted: 05/25/2009 04:16:10 PM PDT
Updated: 05/26/2009 10:59:54 AM PDT
San Francisco Giants' Travis Ishikawa is safe on a steal at second base as... ( Dino Vournas )«1234»
On his 100th at-bat this season, the Giants' Travis Ishikawa hit his first home run. The three-run shot to right capped a four-hit afternoon for the struggling first baseman and put the cherry on top of an 8-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday at AT&T Park.
The win and Ishikawa's breakout performance were just what the Giants needed after returning home from a dreadful 1-5 trip to San Diego and Seattle.
"It's good to finally get that one off my shoulders," said Ishikawa, who had seven homers in spring training after hitting three in 33 games last season. "But like I've said before, I am not trying to hit home runs. I'm just trying to hit balls hard, and I'm just blessed enough today that it got over the fence."
Greeted by a cloudless sky and a Memorial Day crowd of 40,034, the Giants handed left-hander Jonathan Sanchez a three-run cushion through five innings, watched him nearly lose it in the sixth and then scored five runs in the next two innings to put the Braves away.
Ishikawa wasn't originally in the lineup. But Manager Bruce Bochy made a late switch, replacing recent call-up Jesus Guzman with Ishikawa, who did not start Friday and Saturday in Seattle and was hitless in three at-bats Sunday.
"I wish I had a great reason to give you," Bochy said.
The hunch worked brilliantly as Ishikawa notched the first four-hit game of his career and hit the first home run by a Giants
first baseman this season.
The impressive output came two days after General Manager Brian Sabean suggested that Ishikawa's opportunity to play might be in jeopardy.
Asked if the G.M.'s comments pushed him, Ishikawa said, "No, I don't think so. I can't control who plays. I'm going to continue to do the same thing I've always done. (But) I guess to a certain extent, I've got to continue to show him that I deserve that spot."
It figured to be Ishikawa's day when his first hit, a single in the second, barely made it past the pitcher's mound. The popup should have been caught, but third baseman Martin Prado collided with pitcher Javier Vazquez just as Prado was about to catch the ball.
The official scorer immediately ruled the play a hit.
"That seemed like that helped him; his confidence kind of grew there," Bochy said. "He swung it well, a great day, and we needed it."
Ishikawa singled in the fifth and sixth innings before hitting the home run in the seventh. His average rose from .219 at the start of the day to .250.
Sanchez (2-4) held the Braves scoreless through five innings but lost his command after scoring from first base on Edgar Renteria's two-run double in the bottom of the fifth.
"He threw great the first five innings," Bochy said. "That's as well as he's thrown, keeping the ball down, hitting his spots."
Atlanta's Kelly Johnson opened the sixth inning with a triple to right-center, and Sanchez walked the next two batters to load the bases. When Brian McCann's single to left cut the Braves' deficit to 3-1, Bochy summoned Justin Miller from the bullpen.
Miller struck out Jeff Francoeur for the first out and walked Casey Kotchman to force in a run. He retired the next two batters to keep the Giants in front 3-2.
"We're in a tough spot there; they had some good hitters up," Bochy said. "At that point, you just want to cut down the damage, and that's what he did."
Sanchez allowed two runs and four hits in five-plus innings, winning for the first time since April 17 against Arizona. He struck out six, including the first three batters he faced, and walked three.
Vazquez (4-4) gave up five runs and eight hits in 52/3 innings.
"To be able to jump ahead and, of course, Sanchez and the rest of our bullpen doing a great job, it made things a lot easier," Ishikawa said.
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