Vogelsong helps Giants beat Marlins 5-2

MIAMI – Dressing at his locker, Ryan Vogelsong showed a clubhouse visitor the big red welt on his upper left arm, a souvenir earned en route to his career-best 10th victory.

Vogelsong gave up a first-inning homer and took a pitch in the biceps batting in the seventh Sunday, but that was the only significant damage inflicted on the right-hander, who helped the San Francisco Giants to a 5-2 victory over the slumping Florida Marlins.

Vogelsong (10-2), a journeyman who blossomed this year into an All-Star, benefited from four homers by his teammates. He retired 17 in a row during one stretch to finally reach the double-digit victory milestone at age 34.

"Every win is significant," he said. "To me, the road I've been on, they all mean something."

In sunny, 91-degree weather, Vogelsong became overheated only when reliever Burke Badenhop hit him with a pitch. Vogelsong raised the bat over his head with both hands and slammed it to the ground, and the catcher and plate umpire stepped between him and Badenhop.

"I don't think they were trying to hit me," Vogelsong said. "But any time you get hit, you're going to be mad, especially because I have no extra-base hits, and I haven't had a hit in about two months."

Both teams dismissed the notion there was residual bad blood from their previous meeting this season in May, when Giants catcher Buster Posey broke his leg in a collision that stirred controversy.

"Guys get carried away," Marlins manager Jack McKeon said. "Vogel ... Volkswagen ... whatever his name is — he's lucky he didn't have to face Drysdale or Gibson or one of those guys. You would get a shave and a haircut real quick."

The Marlins were unlucky they had to face Vogelsong, who matched a career high with eight strikeouts. He allowed two runs and four hits in 7 2-3 innings, lowering his ERA to 2.47, second-best in the NL.

Cody Ross ended the Giants' major league-record streak of 21 consecutive solo homers when he hit a two-run shot in the third inning. It was the first non-solo homer for San Francisco since July 6.

"Nice to get a home run finally with someone on base," manager Bruce Bochy said. "It lifted the club."

Nate Schierholtz started a new streak with a solo homer in the fourth. Brandon Belt, recalled Saturday from Triple-A for the third time this year, hit solo homers in the sixth and eighth.

The home run total tied a season high for the Giants, who rank next to last in the majors in runs. They took the series after losing their past four series.

Santiago Casilla retired Mike Stanton with two on to end the eighth. Ramon Ramirez came on to strike out Brett Hayes with two on and two out in the ninth for his second save in three chances.

All-Star closer Brian Wilson (sore back) and reliever Sergio Romo (sore arm) were given the day off but are expected to be available Monday at Atlanta.

The Marlins faced the Giants' top three starters in the series, and it showed. San Francisco pitchers gave up only four runs and 15 hits.

"It's nice to go out there and know you only have to score three or four runs and you're going to give yourself a chance," Ross said.

The Marlins, who have struggled at home all season, scored only 25 runs while going 1-9 on their homestand.

Homers accounted for all four runs off Chris Volstad (5-9), who went six innings in his first start for Florida since being demoted to Triple-A New Orleans on July 23.

Ross, playing in Miami this weekend for the first time since the Giants acquired him from Florida on a waiver claim last August, hit his ninth homer after Vogelsong walked, putting the Giants up 2-1. Schierholtz later hit his eighth homer, and Belt's first career two-homer game gave him four home runs this season.

NOTES: The Marlins recalled INF Ozzie Martinez and selected the contract of INF Jose Lopez from Triple-A New Orleans. ... Giants OF Carlos Beltran (strained right wrist) was out of the starting lineup for the sixth consecutive day but said he was feeling better. ... Casilla had orders not to swing when he batted for the first time in his career, and Jose Ceda walked him on four pitches. ... Marlins RHP Clay Hensley, scheduled to start Monday at Colorado, has a 4-1 record and 3.07 ERA in seven career starts against the Rockies. ... Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner, scheduled to start Monday at Atlanta, lasted only 2 2-3 innings and gave up four runs in a loss to the Braves on April 22. That is his only previous game against them.