CINCINNATI (AP) — Even Mike Leake’s good pitches got hit hard, adding up to his worst day.

Brandon Crawford hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs Saturday night, and Hunter Pence scored three times in his return from a broken forearm, leading the San Francisco Giants to an 11-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Nothing that Leake did worked very well.

“It’s easy to say the pitcher didn’t have it, but not all of his pitches were right at the belt,” manager Bryan Price said. “He made some mistakes — obviously, the pitch to Crawford — but give them credit. They went a lot to the middle of the field and the opposite field.”

Crawford’s fourth career grand slam in the fifth inning made it 9-0, the most runs that Leake (2-2) has allowed in his career. Brandon Belt and Gregor Blanco had solo shots off Leake.

“Baseball’s a funny game,” catcher Tucker Barnhart said. “It’s a game of millimeters. If you’re a couple of millimeters off, that makes a big difference.”

The defending World Series champions are hoping their offense gets a boost from Pence’s return. The right fielder was hit by a pitch during spring training, causing a fracture just above the left wrist. He had hits in his first two at-bats, helping San Francisco pull ahead 5-0.

The Giants have scored 21 runs in the last two games at Great American Ball Park, their best two-game total of the season. They entered the series second-to-last in the NL in runs scored.

Ryan Vogelsong (2-2) finally won on the road. He’d been 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA on away from home this season, with batters hitting .385 off him. The Reds managed two runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings, including Jay Bruce’s solo homer.

Pence was hit by a fastball from the Cubs’ Corey Black on March 5. He played five games on a minor league rehabilitation assignment and felt good enough to tell the Giants that he was ready. He proved that he wasn’t bluffing in his first two plate appearances.

Belt hit his second homer in two days in the second inning, and Pence followed with a double to right-center. He came around on Crawford’s single for a 2-0 lead.

Blanco, batting leadoff because of his recent hitting tear, hit his first homer of the season in the third inning. Blanco is on a 9-for-18 hitting streak.

Pence singled in the fourth and came around on Crawford’s double. Casey McGehee’s single made it 5-0. In the fifth inning, Pence drew a walk to set up Crawford’s grand slam.

STATS

The 11 runs were the most by the Giants since an 11-4 win over the Royals in the fourth game of the World Series. It was their most in the regular season since a 12-7 win over Colorado in Sept. 2. … The nine runs allowed by Leake were the most by a Reds pitcher since Homer Bailey gave up the same amount in a 10-9 loss to the Mets on July 28, 2011.

DAY OFF

Leadoff hitter Billy Hamilton got a day off. Hamilton is batting .204 in May with three extra-base hits and four steals.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: Manager Bruce Bochy thinks Pence is in good enough shape to go nine innings, but will give him a day off occasionally as he gets used to playing regularly.

Reds: Left-hander Sean Marshall will have surgery next week for a tear in his pitching shoulder. He had surgery last season, when he tore the labrum, and was trying to make a comeback when the latest injury occurred.

UP NEXT

Giants: Chris Heston is coming off his first career complete game, a two-hitter for an 8-1 win over the Astros.

Reds: Anthony DeSclafani has given up at least three runs in each of his last four starts.

 

Giants 11, Reds 2

 

San Francisco Cincinnati

ab r h bi ab r h bi

G.Blanco lf-cf 5 2 2 1 Cozart ss 3 0 0 0

Panik 2b 5 0 0 0 Byrd lf 5 0 0 0

Pagan cf 3 0 1 0 Votto 1b 5 0 0 0

Aoki ph-lf 2 1 1 0 Frazier 3b 3 0 0 0

Posey c 4 1 2 1 Negron 3b 1 0 0 0

Susac c 1 0 0 0 Bruce rf 4 1 2 1

Belt 1b 5 2 3 2 Phillips 2b 2 1 1 0

Pence rf 3 3 2 0 Mattheus p 0 0 0 0

Maxwell rf 1 0 0 0 Hoover p 0 0 0 0

B.Crawford ss 5 2 3 6 Mesoraco ph 1 0 1 0

McGehee 3b 4 0 1 1 Ju.Diaz p 0 0 0 0

Vogelsong p 2 0 1 0 Boesch cf 3 0 0 0

Machi p 1 0 0 0 Barnhart c 3 0 1 0

Kontos p 0 0 0 0 Leake p 2 0 1 0

Badenhop p 0 0 0 0

Schumaker ph-2b 2 0 1 1

Totals 41 11 16 11 Totals 34 2 7 2

 

 

San Francisco 021 242 000 — 11

Cincinnati 000 002 000 — 2

 

DP—Cincinnati 1. LOB—San Francisco 5, Cincinnati 11. 2B—Pence (1), B.Crawford (7), Leake (2), Schumaker (3). 3B—Aoki (2). HR—G.Blanco (1), Belt (2), B.Crawford (6), Bruce (6). S—Vogelsong.

@Box3: IP H R ER BB SO

San Francisco

Vogelsong W,2-2 5 2-3 6 2 2 4 2

Machi 2 1-3 1 0 0 1 2

Kontos 1 0 0 0 0 1

Cincinnati

Leake L,2-2 5 11 9 9 1 2

Badenhop 1 4 2 2 0 1

Mattheus 1 0 0 0 0 1

Hoover 1 1 0 0 0 2

Ju.Diaz 1 0 0 0 0 2

 

HBP—by Machi (Negron).

Umpires—Home, Bruce Dreckman; First, Tom Hallion; Second, Alfonso Marquez; Third, Dan Bellino.

T—2:53. A—40,889 (42,319).