Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton homers in sixth straight game

Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton launched a home run for the sixth straight game -- a solo shot in the third inning off San Francisco Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner on Tuesday. 

It was a matchup a lot of baseball fans and us in the game look forward to," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Bumgarner won't back down but (Stanton) got him."

The major league record for consecutive games with a home run is eight, held by Ken Griffey Jr., Dale Long and current Marlins manager Don Mattingly. The last player in the majors to homer in six consecutive games was Colorado's Nolan Arenado, who did it in 2015.

"I'd like to see him beat it actually," said Marlins manager Mattingly. "It would be good. ... We're trying to win games and the last thing I'm going to do is root against him hitting homers. So I'm all for it."

On Monday, Stanton set a franchise record with his 43rd home run of the season, breaking Gary Sheffield's record set in 1992. The All-Star now has 11 homers in his past 12 games and 23 in his last 35.

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Heading into Tuesday's game, Stanton has been on a torrid 60-home run season pace. And since July 5, he's hitting a home run every 6.8 plate appearances with a .928 slugging percentage.

"I've never even heard anything like this before with what he's doing," Marlins catcher A.J. Ellis said. "And the fact to be able to see it, it's a great moment for all of us. ... The fact that he's delivering when the expectations are there speaks to how locked in he is and how dedicated he is to find the right pitches. It's pretty special to watch and we all hope it keeps going."