SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants printed up stickers, dangled a free luxury suite and plastered a giant panda on the video board in an effort to drum up online votes for Pablo Sandoval.

But there’s no better campaign strategy than a grand slam.
Sandoval unloaded the bases and sent fans scurrying for their cell phones in the fifth inning Monday, hitting his first career slam to back All-Star right-hander Matt Cain in a 5-4 victory over the Florida Marlins.
Brian Wilson, an All-Star last season, could use the break this time. He nearly melted down after inheriting a three-run lead in the ninth inning, but retired Emilio Bonifacio with runners at the corners to end it.
The night belonged to Sandoval, who whacked a 1-0 pitch from left-hander Sean West eight rows deep into the left field bleachers. After he circled the bases, a buzzing crowd stood and implored Sandoval to make a rare curtain call. Then many fans undoubtedly reached for their mobile device to text another couple dozen All-Star votes.
Sandoval is one of five NL candidates for the final roster spot; when the day began, MLB.com reported that Sandoval held a slim lead over Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino. The “Flyin’ Hawaiian” hit a home run and scored five runs Monday, and the Giants’ “Kung Fu Panda” more than kept pace.
His slam was the second by a Giant this season — Edgar Renteria hit one in April — and they’ve already doubled their output from 2008. John Bowker had the club’s only slam last season.
It was exactly what the Giants needed on the day Randy Johnson went to the disabled list with a strained rotator cuff. And it helped Cain (10-2) become the NL’s second 10-game winner.
Cain, who was trying for the fourth time to reach double-digit victories, held the Marlins to five hits and two runs (one earned) in 6·innings. He remained one behind Colorado’s Jason Marquis, who won his league-best 11th victory Monday night.
Cain wasn’t the only arm on target for the Giants. The Giants ended the third and fourth innings when their outfielders gunned down baserunners.
In the third, left fielder Andres Torres caught a fly ball on the warning track and turned it into a double play when his strong throw caught Emiliano Bonifacio trying to advance to second base. The next inning, Nate Schierholtz came up firing from the right field corner and prevented Cody Ross from stretching a single into a double.
Juan Uribe had no such problem reaching second base after leading off with a drive down the right field line. West struggled to find the inside corner, loading the bases after consecutive one-out walks to Cain and Aaron Rowand.
Torres followed with a fly ball to shallow right field, and the crowd groaned when third base coach Tim Flannery had Uribe bluff a scoring attempt from third base. Right fielder Jeremy Hermida’s throw missed the cutoff man, well short and wide of the plate.
Perhaps Flannery would have been more aggressive if the Giants’ best hitter weren’t due up. Sandoval’s slam was his team-best 13th homer of the season. It also gave him 48 RBIs, pushing him ahead of Bengie Molina for the team lead.
Giants Manager Bruce Bochy shook up the lineup against West, a rookie who earned his first major league victory with eight scoreless innings against the Giants on June 8. Bochy rested switch hitter Randy Winn, who has a .117 average from the right side.
Molina led off the second inning with a double, advanced on Edgar Renteria’s surprise sacrifice bunt and scored on Schierholtz’s deep sacrifice fly.
Prior to the game, the Giants announced that every fan who votes for Sandoval on MLB.com would be automatically entered to win a luxury suite for a future game.