San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - Jonathan Sanchez set a career-high with 12 strikeouts over seven strong innings, and the Giants got homers from Aubrey Huff and Jose Guillen to beat the Dodgers, 10-2, to finally move back into first place in the NL West.
In Progress: Giants Host Dodgers, Can Move Into First Place With Win
San Diego, which lost 4-0 at St. Louis earlier Thursday, is now a half-game behind San Francisco. It's the first time the Giants are alone in first place since May 6. The Padres and Giants conclude the season with a three-game set at AT&T Park.
The Rockies are looming just 2 1/2 games out of first place. The Giants have three games in Colorado, September 24-26.
Sanchez (11-8) allowed four hits and two runs -- one earned -- without walking a batter as he won his third straight decision. The lefty has given up just one earned run in his last 27 innings.
Huff belted a three-run homer in the third inning off Ted Lilly (8-11). Buster Posey followed with a blast over the wall in left field and Guillen added a two-run shot off Jeff Weaver in the fifth.
Edgar Renteria had four hits and Guillen three for the Giants, who took the rubber match of the three-game series and won for the ninth time in 12 contests. Freddy Sanchez had three RBI.
Lilly gave up seven hits and six runs over 3 1/3 innings to drop his third consecutive decision.
Russ Mitchell belted his first career homer for the Dodgers, losers in nine of 12 games.
Rafael Furcal doubled leading off the game and scored on a Juan Uribe throwing error.
Huff tripled in the bottom half and Posey followed with a double. The Giants then scored four times in the third. Renteria bunted for a base hit, Freddy Sanchez doubled and Huff smashed his 25th homer of the year, a shot to right. Posey then sent a laser over the wall in left field for a 5-1 margin.
Freddy Sanchez walked with the bases full in the fourth, but Mitchell homered leading off the fifth.
Guillen drilled a two-run shot to left-center in the bottom of the frame for an 8-2 margin, and Freddy Sanchez doubled home two more in the eighth with Jon Link on the mound for LA.
The Giants won the season series, 10-8, beating the Dodgers in a yearly set for the first time since 2005. These teams will open the 2011 season against each other at Dodger Stadium on April 1, 2011...Jonathan Sanchez is 2-5 lifetime against the Dodgers...Guillen, who came into the game mired in a 6-for-35 slump, went 3-for-3...The Giants host Milwaukee this weekend, the Padres continue their set in St. Louis, and the Rockies will be in LA...The homer was Mitchell's first career hit.
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