Some uneasiness was shown but in the end, the Giants get the victory
In a rubber-match at AT&T Park, the San Francisco Giants (37-34) got a win over the visiting San Diego Padres (36-36) by a final of 4-2. Being down by a run in the 7th, Gregor Blanco would pinch hit for Andres Torres and hit a two-run triple to deep right center to give the Giants the lead that would win the game.
“When they want me batting sixth or seventh, it means they want me to drive in runs,” Blanco said. “So when I came up to hit I told myself I had better drive these people in.”
Blanco would score on the very next batter with Marco Scutaro hitting a single to center. Gregor would finish the series going 5-10.
The game did have some tempers going early on. Madison Bumgarner (W, 7-4) had thrown a ball behind Padres first baseman Jesus Guzman back in the 2nd inning of the game. This caused Guzman to take a few steps toward the mound.
“I was mad because it was just too obvious to me,” Guzman said. “It’s OK. I will forget about that moment. I play for my team and I play to win. We’ll just play and see what happens.”
The wild pitch might’ve been for Guzman’s behavior after his home run on Tuesday night’s game. The benches would clear as a result but both sides would calm down and no ejections were made.
Guzman would end up flying out to left in that at bat in the 2nd but he would have the last laugh vs. Bumgarner. With the score tied at 1-1 in the 7th, Jesus hit a solo home run to left field to lead off the inning. That was the 2nd home run that Bumgarner had allowed in his outing with the first at the hands of center fielder Will Venable back in the 3rd.
Giants 1st baseman Brandon Belt would tie the game at 1-1 in the 4th. With runners on the corners with no outs, Belt would hit an RBI single to left getting in Hunter Pence from third. It was Belt’s only hit of the game but sixth of this series as he has managed an RBI in each game of these three games.
Jake Dunning would take over on the mound for the Giants in the 8th inning allowing just one hit to Padres second baseman Logan Forsythe, a single to right.
Sergio Romo then was called to close out a second game in a row. He would get San Diego out 1-2-3 getting Venable to ground out to 1st to end the ballgame. It sealed Romo’s 18th save of the season.
The Giants and Padres would split the other two games in this series. San Diego took game one on Monday Night 5-3 in thirteen innings. Will Venable made a diving catch heading towards the wall in the 12th to prevent the Giants’ winning run to come home from third and prolong the game.
The Padres would score two in the top of the 13th. First a bunt single by Padres starting pitcher Andrew Cashner who was pinch hitting in that spot and then a bases loaded walk to Yasmani Grandal to get the second run in.
Game two had both teams going back and forth in the later innings with the Giants taking the game by a final of 5-4.
After giving up the lead in the top of the 8th with Jesus Guzman hitting a two run home run, San Francisco would grab the lead back in the bottom of the inning. Brandon Belt would double to deep right center to get Andres Torres, who was pinch running for Buster Posey, to score from 1st base. Then after an intentional walk and line out, Juan Perez singled to right getting Belt in from 2nd and giving the Giants the lead back.
Romo would get the save in the 9th allowing just one hit. He would strikeout Logan Forsythe to end the game.
The Padres leave town as the Giants now welcome the Miami Marlins (22-49) to AT&T for a four game series. San Francisco’s probables are Chad Gaudin (2-1), Tim Lincecum (4-7), Barry Zito (4-5), and Matt Cain (5-3). Miami’s probables are Tom Koehler (0-5), Ricky Nolasco (4-7), Jacob Turner (1-0), and Nate Eovaldi (0-0).
