Brandon Crawford broke a fifth-inning tie with a three-run home run and Anthony DeSclafani bounced back from two subpar efforts with six strong innings Thursday night, delivering the San Francisco Giants a 7-2 victory over the visiting Chicago Cubs in the opener of a four-game series between National League division leaders.

Crawford, Buster Posey and Alex Dickerson led an 11-hit assault on four Chicago pitchers with two hits apiece for the Giants, who won for the fifth time in their last six games.

Joc Pederson hit a two-run homer (his fifth homer of the season) for the Cubs, erasing an early 1-0 deficit and giving Chicago starter Zach Davies (2-3) a third-inning lead.

But DeSclafani (5-2), hitless in his first 21 at-bats this season, surprised the visitors in the fourth with a two-out, RBI double to the fence in right field. That set up Crawford's go-ahead blast one inning later.

Attempting to pitch Chicago to a fourth straight win, Davies got a break in the fifth when, after Posey and Dickerson had led off the inning with singles, Cubs catcher Willson Contreras picked Dickerson off first base.

Davies went on to walk Wilmer Flores, then handed the ball off to left-hander Rex Brothers, who served up the left-handed-hitting Crawford's three-run blast to center field.

Two of the three runs were charged to Davies, who gave up a total of four on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four.

DeSclafani made the three-run advantage stand, limiting the Cubs to two runs and four hits in six innings. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.

The right-hander had been scorched for 12 runs on 14 hits and seven walks in 7 1/3 innings in his previous two outings.

The Giants broke the game open in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Donovan Solano and an RBI single by Steven Duggar.

Crawford, whose homer was his 12th of the season, finished with four RBIs for the Giants. He and Flores scored twice apiece.

Kris Bryant had the Cubs' only extra-base hit other than Pederson's homer, a first-inning double. Chicago was out-hit 11-5.

--Field Level Media