Hunter Pence’s legacy will be tied to those fiery speeches, when he stomped around the Giants clubhouse and screamed and his eyes bulged while imploring his teammates to a pair of World Series titles.
Pence knows he cannot go Pentecostal on his teammates every day. But even amid two of the worst months of baseball in Giants history, his optimism has been impossible to slay. He has done most of his motivational work on a quieter and more individual basis, taking Matt Moore aside in the kitchen or speaking to Eduardo Nunez in the trainer’s room.
Pence also knows that words carry only so much weight without deeds behind it. And after Saturday’s 11-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, there is nothing quiet about the two games he has played at Chase Field.
Pence became the first Giant since Fred Snodgrass in 1912, and just the 10th major league player in more than 100 years, to score four runs in consecutive games. He followed up a 4-for-4 performance on Friday by going 3-for-3 with a home run and two walks Saturday.
He has reached base 10 times in 11 plate appearances against Arizona. With one game yet to be played here, he’s already matched the Giants record for runs scored in a three-game series. Oh, and he survived that body-flinging, fence-crashing catch in Friday night’s 12-inning victory, too.
Pence has been the Giants’ Pettitte, which gave manager Bruce Bochy one less thing to worry about as his club careened through late July and August.
“He’s so valuable and so positive,” Bochy said. “He’s talking to players and building them up and pumping them up. He brings it every day. He’s got his rituals with these guys.”
No, Pence can’t do it all for the Giants. He can’t handle a save situation in the ninth inning, for example. But who needs a closer when you outhit your opponent 19-5?
Johnny Cueto held the Diamondbacks to two runs in seven tidy innings, contributed an RBI single and even took a comic turn as a base coach as the Giants (76-65) won a rare laughter to keep pace in two playoff races.
They remained four games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and brightened their standing in the wild-card picture by a shade. They continue to lead the St. Louis Cardinals by a half game while the New York Mets slipped to games back.
Pence singled and scored on Joe Panik’s double in he second inning, he tagged an opposite-field shot to lead off the seventh and he crossed the plate both times after drawing walks.
By far the most memorable moment came amid the Giants’ four-run third inning, when Cueto took one his slashing swings - he wields the bat like he’s hitting groundstrokes on the hard court- and lined a bases-loaded single to right field.
Before Cueto (15-5) even reached first base, he was looking over his shoulder at third base, where Pence held up. Cueto, who clearly wanted a second RBI, waved his arms in protest and then chatted up first base coach Bill Hayes.
The Giants needed one of these tension-free wins. They had gone 4-6 in their previous 10 games, and their four victories had come by a total margin of five runs. That is no way to live when your closer situation is a full-blown crisis.
Bochy was able to take out Cueto after just 89 pitches, which might freshen him up for his important assignment when he opens a home series against the Cardinals on Thursday.
Bochy also was able to give an inning to Jake Peavy, who came off the disabled list earlier in the week, and some pressure-free mound time to Josh Osich, who has the kind of lethal stuff that could make a difference down the stretch but continues to work through mechanical issues.
 
RESULTS
Houston 2 Chicago Cubs 1
Toronto 3 Boston 2
Seattle 14 Oakland 3
NY Yankees 5 Tampa Bay 1
Cincinnati 8 Pittsburgh 7
Washington 3 Philadelphia 0
Baltimore 11 Detroit 3
Minnesota 2 Cleveland 1
(12 innings)
Kansas City 6 White Sox 5
LA Dodgers 5 Miami 0
Atlanta 4 NY Mets 3 (10 innings)
St. Louis 5 Milwaukee 1
San Francisco 11 Arizona 3
San Diego 6 Colorado 3