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Giants answer the bell against Milwaukee
By Morris Phillips July 5, 2010 |
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Two cities with a lengthy flight in between, 22 innings and after nearly 7 ˝ hours spent on the field, the Giants finally got a break. And thanks to a critical, lengthy pitching performance from Jonathan Sanchez, the Giants took advantage. With the bases loaded in the seventh inning, Milwaukee shortstop Alcides Escobar mishandled Freddy Sanchez’ double play ground ball and the floodgates opened for the weary, famished Giants. Buster Posey scored on the play, to break a 1-1 tie, and Aubrey Huff followed with a two-run single in a four-run inning. The Giants went on beat the Brewers, 6-1 to interrupt a stretch were the Giants had dropped 12 of 16 contests. Along with the losing that has endangered a season of promise, the Giants fell flat in a 4-3, 15-inning marathon Sunday in Denver that was the longest (by time, not innings) in the history of Coors Field. Three Giants, Andres Torres, Sanchez and Huff, went the entire way--nearly 5 ˝ hours—then were in the lineup Monday, hitting 1-2-3. The entire bullpen was used in the loss, and one guy, Buster Posey, made a surprising early exit, when Eli Whiteside pinch ran for the rookie in the eighth inning. While the team stewed on the airport tarmac, waiting out a powerful rain storm that delayed their takeoff from Denver by one hour, they also had to lick their wounds, hope their bodies would respond to the early start in Milwaukee, and Bochy had to defend his controversial decision to remove Posey. While the downside of the Giants veteran-laden roster has been a lack of foot speed and power hitting, flaws that have been referenced nightly the last two weeks, the upside is the team is chock full of gamers, quality guys and real professionals. Without a Zambrano-like outburst or a Kent/Bonds like meltdown, the team took the field on Monday, ready to go, putting the marathon weekend of frustration in the back of their minds the best that they could. And once again, the Giants found themselves in a tight ballgame, one like the 29 thus far against other NL West teams in which the team has been dreadful, dropping 20 of the 29. But this time, the NL Central Brewers--built for power while deficient in pitching and defense--gave the Giants a far less daunting challenge, especially late in the game. And the Giants situational hitting and lack of proficiency on the base paths didn’t doom them this time. Early on, the hurling Sanchez gave the Giants the innings and competitiveness they desperately needed. Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee’s burly slugger miscast as a leadoff man, helped out by striking out in a pair of key situations, and Sanchez retired All-Star selection Corey Hart with the bases loaded in the second. Through his six innings, Sanchez fell behind, threw a couple balls to the backstop, and walked six, but time after time he escaped, allowing just one run. After a free pass to Prince Fielder, Bochy visited the mound, where pitching coach Dave Righetti would normally step in, and demanded his right hander throw strikes. The motivation proved timely as Sanchez escaped a two on, no out situation, by getting Ryan Braun to hit into a fielders’ choice, striking out Casey McGehee, and retiring Jonathan Lucroy. Posey overcame his early departure Sunday with a big Monday, as Bochy tabbed him to be Sanchez’s battery mate, ahead of Whiteside, who has become the right hander’s personal catcher. Then in the eighth, the rookie tweaked his knee swinging, drawing the trainer and the visible concern of his teammates, before he homered—on the very next pitch. Huff stayed hot with three hits, following his two-homer game Friday in Denver, nicely. Still the big free agent off-season signing has mirrored the Giants’ offensive ups and downs. While Huff leads the team in home runs, RBI, and on base percentage, he came into Monday just 3 for last 17 with men on base. Along with the key hit in the big seventh and a mad sprint home in the sixth when he scored on Pablo Sandoval’s single to get the Giants on the board, Huff slept until 11:45am, trying to recuperate, which meant he had to dress quickly to make the mandatory bus at noon. Huff said he felt gassed throughout the game, and is likely to take Bochy up on a day off on Tuesday. But afterwards he was all smiles contemplating his next move. “I’m going to hit that cold tub for twenty, thirty minutes and whoever’s in, I’m kicking them out,” Huff said. |
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