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Game Summary:
It was yet another pitchers duel on Monday. Madison Bumgarner got the quality start, going six innings and allowing two earned runs. Derek Lowe, too, was impressive, going 6.1 innings with eight strikeouts, two earned runs, and just two hits allowed.
In the third, the Braves took a 1-0 lead with a Brian McCann sacrifice fly.
The Giants answered in the sixth, when Cody Ross hit a solo shot to left field to break up Lowe's no-hit bid.
The Braves did not hesitate -- unfortunately -- to reclaim the lead. On the first pitch in the bottom half of the sixth inning, Brian McCann hit a deep solo shot to right field to make the score 2-1.
In the seventh, Lowe fell apart completely. He allowed a walk to Aubrey Huff, followed by a Buster Posey single, and after telling Bobby Cox to keep him in the game (Cox was ready to bring in a reliever), a walk to Pat Burrell.
Peter Moylan was brought in to face Juan Uribe with the bases loaded, but couldn't preserve the Braves' lead. Uribe hit a grounder to short, but the Braves failed to record an out. (Alex Gonzalez threw to second for the force out, but the umpire ruled that Omar Infante's foot had come off the bag. It was a bad call...)
With the game tied 2-2, Cody Ross smacked a single through the hole in the left side, and, although Pat Burrell was thrown out at home, the Giants managed to take a 3-2 lead. (Buster Posey scored on the play).
Santiago Casilla came into the game, shut the Braves down for the seventh inning and most of the eighth inning (Javier Lopez struck out Jason Heyward for the final out in the eighth). Brian Wilson came in, and...it wasn't easy (two walks), but he secured the win for the Giants.
And now they're going to the NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES!
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Andres Torres and Juan Uribe continue to struggle. They were a combined 3 for 30 (.100) in the NLDS. Is it time to panic? No...of course not. Those were four games. They'll certainly see an improvement in Philadelphia. They won't face any worse pitchers...but Citizens Bank Park is hitter's heaven. Seriously. How else would Aaron Rowand ever put up a .300, 25+ HR season? On a simliar note...his at-bat tonight was pretty terrible. He swung at a low pitch that was completely out of the strikezone. It can happen against Jonny Venters, though...Quite a good, young reliever.
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Santiago Casilla = new setup man? I like what I saw out of him. Of the six batters he faced, he struck out two, and induced three groundouts. The Giants will have time to think about their eighth-inning setup-man situation...but I would be content if they were to put him in this role...as long as it's not against Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez. In that case, I say they should just use Javier Lopez (for the lefty vs. lefty matchups).
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I was honestly nervous that Jose Guillen would be the Giants' starting right-fielder for the NLDS. I didn't figure they would just take this job from him and suddenly give it to Cody Ross. But they basically did. And it was one of the best decisions (albeit a no-brainer) Giants management has ever made.
Cody Ross played solid defense...and his offensive numbers were certainly substantial. He batted .286 with the game-winning RBI in Game One and Game Four, and a crucial home run in the sixth inning of Game Four. His .571 slugging percentage this series was second only to Pat Burrell's .600 slugging percentage. The Giants could very well have lost Games One and Four without Cody Ross in right field.
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This video, produced and edited by http://whitecollarbrawler.com/, is a pretty good 2010 Giants anthem, encompassing "Fear the Beard," the Rally Thong, and plenty of other 2010 Giants references to the tune of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"
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Edgar Renteria is batting 1.000...he's two for two in this series. I'm likin' what I'm seeing out of him. Who knows if it will continue? Maybe it's all the postseason experience he's had (55 playoff games to his name prior to this season). He's had two clutch late-inning hits though. And contrary to my beliefs, has been valuable off the bench. Although, he did screw up a double-play opportunity in the eighth...
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The Giants certainly won the "Battle of the Rookies." Here's a comparison chart of how Buster Posey and Jason Heyward did in this series:
Not to mention the six-inning two-earned-run performance by the Giants' other rookie, Madison Bumgarner.
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Bumgarner has a bright, bright future. At age 21, he became the youngest Giants pitcher to win a postseason game. What he's done this year...it's just impressive. Especially when compared to Todd Wellemeyer's performance as the Giants' fifth starter. I certainly can't wait to see how he does in the near future. He's gotten better with each start. Now, he's a top young arm...just look at the 1.13 ERA he put up in September. Best part? Highest average fastball velocity of any start in his career.
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Bad umpiring...this time, it was in the Giants' favor. There was the Posey stolen base in Game One. He was clearly out. Then there was Game Two, a play at first in which Alex Gonzalez was called out...but Aubrey Huff took his foot off the bag...so he was actually safe. That's the play that got Cox ejected in Game Two. And then there was the Giants' seventh inning rally. On a force out at second, Pat Burrell was called safe because the umpire thought Omar Infante had taken his foot off of the bag. He actually had his foot on the bag at the time he caught the ball, though...The Giants are lucky all these calls went their way. For the Giants' and Phillies' sake, I hope that the NLCS umpires do a better job. I would assume that umpires are better when it gets to a bigger stage. Hopefully that's the case.
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| It wasn't too noticeable. But I think Burrell was out at second... |
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You should read this:
ESPN Stats & Info: Bumgarner latest Giant among men
It's got some cool information. To sum it up, this was the first postseason series ever in which all the games were decided by one run. Madison Bumgarner became the second youngest starter in postseason history to win a series clincher. And...the four key players in Game Four (Posey, Bumgarner, Ross, Casilla) were not with the team at the beginning of the season. Interesting stuff.
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Here it is again...what a great season. This team has certainly exceeded my expectations (and the expectations of many)...
