Giants fill big need by getting first baseman Garko from Indians

Giants acquire Garko from Cleveland

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants have acquired first baseman Ryan Garko from the Cleveland Indians, filling a big need in the infield and adding a key right-handed bat.

Garko was a late lineup scratch for the Indians on Monday before they opened a road series against the Los Angeles Angels. He was batting .285 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs in 78 games for Cleveland, including .343 this month.

The Giants, who fell out of the wild-card lead with a 3-7 road trip, gave up Class-A left-hander Scott Barnes in the deal. Barnes was 12-3 with a 2.85 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 18 starts and 98.0 innings.