SB Nation Bay Area - Giants Drop Finale Of Series, Come Up Short Despite Late Rallyhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48817/bayrea-fave.png2010-08-25T18:00:33-07:00http://bayarea.sbnation.com/rss/stream/14026802010-08-25T18:00:33-07:002010-08-25T18:00:33-07:00Giants Rally Late, Force Extra Innings, But Fall Short
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<p>San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - <span>Joey Votto</span> homered twice and drove in the winning run in the 12th inning to lift Cincinnati to a wild 12-11 win over San Francisco, as the <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a> salvaged the final game of a high-scoring three- game set between the two playoff hopefuls.</p>
<p>Cincinnati coughed up a nine-run lead and had to score in the ninth to force extra innings and avoid being swept by the <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">Giants</a> for the first time since May 3-5, 2002.</p>
<p>Votto finished with four hits and four runs batted in and <span>Paul Janish</span> went 3-for-5 with an RBI. <span>Jonny Gomes</span> and<span>Ryan Hanigan</span> also homered for the Reds, who temporarily pushed their lead over St. Louis in the NL Central to three games.</p>
<p><span>Barry Zito</span> (8-9), making just his second career relief appearance, was the last of eight pitchers and yielded the game-winning run during his lone inning of work, as the Giants fell six games behind San Diego in the NL West and one- half game behind Philadelphia in the NL Wild Card chase.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/8/25/1651047/giants-rally-late-force-extraJames Brady2010-08-25T12:39:00-07:002010-08-25T12:39:00-07:00Giants Looking To Keep Momentum Going Against Reds
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<p>(Sports Network) - The <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Cincinnati Reds</a> may be the National League's highest scoring team this season, but the<a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">San Francisco Giants</a> have been the ones swinging the powerful bats during this three-game series between the two postseason contenders.</p>
<p>One day after amassing a season-high run total, the revitalized Giants set their sights on a sweep of the National League Central-leading Reds in this afternoon's showdown at AT&T Park.</p>
<p>San Francisco pounded Cincinnati pitching for 17 hits in an 11-2 rout on Monday, then created even more damage in last night's middle test of this series. The Giants collected a total of 18 hits and swatted four homers en route to a 16-5 victory that moved the team into a virtual tie with Philadelphia for the lead in the NL Wild Card standings.</p>
<p><span>Pablo Sandoval</span> and <span>Andres Torres</span> each had three hits and four RBI in Tuesday's shellacking, with Sandoval accounting for one of San Francisco's four long balls on the night. <span>Freddy Sanchez</span> also went deep as part of a 4-for-4 performance in which the second baseman scored four runs.</p>
<p>Sanchez also had four hits in Monday's game and has raised his season average from .261 to .278 with his output in this series.</p>
<p>"Right now he looks comfortable up there," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of Sanchez. "He's got his timing and getting some good swings off. When good hitters get into a groove, they're going to get their base hits."</p>
<p>San Francisco also received a three-run homer from <span>Buster Posey</span> and a two-run blast off the bat of <span>Juan Uribe</span>in the win, the club's fourth in six games. The contest marked the first time the Giants have totaled 11 runs or more in back-to-back home tilts since September 2-3, 1973.</p>
<p>Cincinnati was able to flex its muscles at the plate as well, with <span>Brandon Phillips</span> belting two solo homers while going 3-for-5 and <span>Scott Rolen</span> delivering a two-run shot in a losing cause. All three round-trippers came against San Francisco starter <span>Jonathan Sanchez</span>, who failed to pitch the required five innings to gain the decision.</p>
<p><span>Santiago Casilla</span> (5-2) was credited with the win after holding the Reds scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings. Sanchez was removed after only 4 1/3 frames and surrendered five runs on six hits while walking three.</p>
<p>Rookies Travis Wood and <span>Mike Leake</span> each had forgettable nights for Cincinnati, with Wood rocked for seven runs and seven hits over the first four innings and Leake permitting six runs and six hits -- including homers to Uribe and Posey -- while recording only a single out in the fifth.</p>
<p>"We just got beat up the last couple of days," Reds manager Dusty Baker said afterwards. "It makes for long nights."</p>
<p>Despite the two lopsided defeats, Cincinnati remained 2 1/2 games in front of St. Louis for the Central's top spot after the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a> lost to lowly Pittsburgh last night. The Reds have also gone a respectable 5-3 so far on a nine-game road trip that ends this afternoon.</p>
<p>Baker will ask <span>Homer Bailey</span> to try to cool off San Francisco's red-hot offense in the finale. The former phenom may be up to the task, if his two starts following a lengthy stint on the disabled list are any indication.</p>
<p>After missing close to three months due to a sore shoulder, Bailey returned to fire six shutout innings in a 2-0 home win over Florida on August 15. The right-hander backed that up by yielding just one run and four hits over seven sharp frames to defeat the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> Friday in Los Angeles.</p>
<p>Bailey is 1-0 in three career meetings with San Francisco, but was hit hard in a pair of clashes with the Giants last season. In those two games, the 24- year-old was tagged for 10 runs and 16 hits over 11 2/3 innings of work.</p>
<p>The Giants will counter with a talented young hurler of their own in top prospect <span>Madison Bumgarner</span>, with the rookie entering today's assignment off a big victory on the road over playoff-hopeful St. Louis last Friday.</p>
<p>Bumgarner limited the Cardinals to two runs over seven-plus innings to improve to 5-4 in 11 starts since being promoted from Triple-A Fresno in late June. The 21-year-old has posted a 3.20 ERA as well following the promotion and allowed two runs or less in six of his past nine appearances.</p>
<p>The left-hander, who will be taking on the Reds for the first time, is still in search of his first career win at AT&T Park, however. Bumgarner has pitched four times at home so far this year and gone 0-2 with a 4.21 ERA over the course of those games.</p>
<p>These teams have split the past eight meetings between one another held in San Francisco, as well as a four-game series in Cincinnati back in June.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/8/25/1650457/giants-looking-to-keep-momentum-reds-previewJames Brady2010-08-24T22:49:57-07:002010-08-24T22:49:57-07:00Giants-Reds Game Two Recap
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<p>San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - <span>Pablo Sandoval</span> homered twice and joined <span>Andres Torres</span> with four RBI each, as San Francisco pounded Cincinnati, 16-5, in the second of three games at AT&T Park.</p>
<p>Sandoval pounded two of the game's seven home runs and finished with three of the <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">Giants</a>' 18 hits. Torres went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, <span>Buster Posey</span> hit a three-run home run and <span>Juan Uribe</span> hit a two-run home run and scored twice.</p>
<p><span>Freddy Sanchez</span> joined in the party with four hits, one a solo shot, and four runs scored. <span>Santiago Casilla</span> (5-2) pitched two scoreless frames to pick up the win for the Giants, who have won two in a row and moved into a tie with Philadelphia for the National League wild-card lead. The <a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Phillies</a> lost, 4-2, to Houston in 16 innings on Tuesday.</p>
<p><span>Brandon Phillips</span> hit two solo home runs and <span>Scott Rolen</span> belted a two-run shot for the <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a>, who have dropped the first two tests of this series but still lead St. Louis by 2 1/2 games in the National League Central race after the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a> dropped a 4-3 decision to Pittsburgh.</p>
<p><span>Travis Wood</span> (4-2) gave up seven runs on seven hits in four frames, but the hurler who replaced him, <span>Mike Leake</span>, only retired one batter while giving up six runs on six hits.</p>
<p><span>Jonathan Sanchez</span> didn't get through the fifth inning and gave up five runs on six hits with six strikeouts, three walks and three homers allowed in 4 1/3 frames.</p>
<p>The Giants began their scoring onslaught right out of the gate with a Torres leadoff single. After two outs, <span>Pat Burrell</span> walked and <span>Cody Ross</span> drove in Torres with a single to left. Both runners moved up one base on the throw home and Sandoval drove them both in with a single to left.</p>
<p>Freddy Sanchez's solo shot in the second made it a 4-0 game before the Reds chopped the deficit in half over their next two at-bats. Phillips drilled a solo shot to left-center field in the third and <span>Joey Votto</span> singled, stole second and came around to score on Ramon Hernandez's base hit in the fourth.</p>
<p>The Giants stopped the visitor's momentum with a three-spot in the home fourth. Uribe singled, Freddy Sanchez walked and each runner moved up one base on Hernandez's throwing error on a pickoff attempt. Torres drove both runners home with a single to right, and Aubrey Huff's two-out single scored the speedster for a 7-2 edge.</p>
<p>Cincinnati came back with three runs of its own, beginning with Phillips second home run of the game out to left.<span>Drew Stubbs</span> hit a ground-rule double and moved to third on Votto's fly out. Rolen then drove his 19th home run of the season out to left-center for a 7-5 game.</p>
<p>The back-and-forth slugfest continued in San Francisco's turn at the plate, as the home team hit Leake for six runs. Ross singled and Sandoval's 30th double of the campaign scored the team's eighth run in front of Uribe's two-run home run to left. Sanchez then doubled and <span>Nate Schierholtz</span> walked before Posey despoited a pitch over the wall in center, a three-run shot that opened a 13-5 game.</p>
<p>Sandoval drove his second round-tripper of the game out to right-center field in the sixth then Sanchez started a two-out flurry with a single to center. Schierholtz singled to right and Torres drove both runners home with a double to right for a 16-5 game.</p>
<p>Wood had won four straight road starts with a 2.63 ERA over that stretch before Tuesday's game...The Reds have still won four of their past seven visits to San Francisco...Phillips now has 16 home runs on the season and Rolen has 19...Sanchez hit his third homer of the campaign, while Uribe clubbed his 16th, Posey his 10th and Sandoval his 10 and 11th of the season...Sandoval was a triple away from the cycle.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/8/24/1649410/giants-reds-game-two-recapJames Brady2010-08-24T19:55:30-07:002010-08-24T19:55:30-07:00Giants Look To Build On Win With Another
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<p>(Sports Network) - The <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">San Francisco Giants</a> will be vying to build off a big win over the <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Cincinnati Reds</a> on Monday when the two postseason contenders continue an intriguing three-game series from AT&T Park this evening.</p>
<p>The Giants entered this important set having lost five times in a seven-game span, but the team was able to gain some ground in the playoff chase with a lopsided victory over the National League Central-leading Reds last night. San Francisco pounded out 17 hits and erupted for five runs in the first inning en route to an 11-2 rout which moved the club within one game of Philadelphia's lead atop the league's wild card standings.</p>
<p><span>Aubrey Huff</span> began the opening-inning outburst with a two-run double and finished 3-for-4 with three RBI. <span>Pablo Sandoval</span> also collected three hits and knocked in three runs on the evening, while <span>Freddy Sanchez</span> went 4-for-5 with two RBI to help his team to the much-needed triumph.</p>
<p>"We need consistency and that's something that we're trying to get clicking here offensively," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said after the game. "It's going to be a key to our season, we know it, but it's a good start."</p>
<p>Giants starter <span>Matt Cain</span> (10-10) did his part as well, limiting the heavy- hitting Reds to two runs and five hits while registering seven strikeouts over eight strong innings.</p>
<p>Cain badly outpitched Cincinnati's <span>Edinson Volquez</span> (3-2), who failed to make it out of the first inning. The right-hander was rocked for five runs on five hits and walked three batters while recording only two outs.</p>
<p>The Reds didn't do much at the plate as well, mustering only five hits off Cain and reliever <span>Javier Lopez</span>. <span>Scott Rolen</span> accounted for the club's lone scoring with a two-run triple in the third inning.</p>
<p>Cincinnati, which had won five of its first six tests on its current nine-game West Coast trip, had its lead atop the NL Central trimmed to 2 1/2 games after second-place St. Louis defeated Pittsburgh on Monday.</p>
<p>"The main thing is for nobody to panic, it's one game," Reds manager Dusty Baker said following last night's result. "You want to win every game, but at this point we're 5-2 on this road trip. We still have two games left, so we have a chance to have a very good road trip."</p>
<p>Cincinnati may also have a very good chance at a win tonight if rookie <span>Travis Wood</span> can keep up his strong pitching as of late. The young lefty has ripped off four consecutive winning starts -- all of which have come on the road -- and surrendered two runs or less in three of those outings.</p>
<p>Wood ran his season record to 4-1 after holding Arizona to a run and just four hits while striking out six over 6 1/3 effective innings last Thursday in Phoenix. The effort lowered the 23-year-old's earned run average to 2.51 over nine major league starts, and opposing hitters are batting a mere .176 against him.</p>
<p>This will be the first-ever encounter against the Giants for Wood, who's 4-0 with a 2.63 ERA in eight starts on the road this year.</p>
<p><span>Jonathan Sanchez</span> will take the ball for San Francisco this evening and hopes to duplicate an excellent effort against the <a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Phillies</a> this past Thursday. The southpaw permitted just one run and two hits while racking up seven strikeouts versus the two-time defending NL champs, leading the Giants to a key 5-2 win and upping his 2010 record to 9-8.</p>
<p>Sanchez had lost two straight starts prior to Thursday's gem and was also dealt a defeat by the Reds earlier this season. That took place in Cincinnati back on June 9, with the Puerto Rico native reached for three runs over a five-inning stint.</p>
<p>The 27-year-old had won both of his previous two encounters with the Reds and sports a 2.41 ERA over 18 2/3 career innings against Cincinnati.</p>
<p>The Reds had prevailed in four of their past six visits to San Francisco and split a four-game set with the Giants in Cincinnati back in June.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/8/24/1649163/giants-look-to-build-on-win-withJames Brady2010-08-23T23:08:15-07:002010-08-23T23:08:15-07:00Cain Takes Care of Business, Giants Win 11-2
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<p><a href="http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2010/8/23/1638934/post-game-thread-giants-use-the" target="new">McCovey Chronicles reports:</a></p>
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<p>I was fascinated by the decision to leave Matt Cain in for the eighth inning. He was already well over 100 pitches, and the Giants had a five-run lead. Even with a short bullpen — Guillermo Mota pulled his it-girl, in case you didn’t hear — the Giants should still have been able to been able to cover two innings.</p>
<p>Yet Cain was absolutely nasty in the eighth. His fastball was up to 95 mph as he cracked the 120-pitch marker, and he was snapping off some fetid breaking balls. I’m pretty sure I would have pulled Cain for a pinch-hitter in the seventh, but it’s a little tough to use the top of the eighth as a data point in support of that position.</p>
<p>Instead of taking a stand, I just want to see Bruce Jenkins and Rany Jazayerli get in a knife fight. I’ll follow the winner’s ideology.</p>
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https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/8/23/1638976/matt-cain-san-francisco-giants-win-11-2-cincinnati-redsAvinash Kunnath2010-08-23T18:45:21-07:002010-08-23T18:45:21-07:00Giants Host Cincinnati Reds For Three Game Series
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<p>The Giants have been terribly inconsistent in the month of August. Their schedule isn't doing them any favors, either. The Cincinnati Reds are coming off some good wins and, sitting in first place in their division, they're looking to walk into AT&T park with a certain stride that may or may not exude cockiness. Perhaps that means they'll take the Giants lightly, or perhaps not.</p>
<p><span>Joey Votto</span> will be leading the charge against Giants pitcher Matt Cain. Cain needs to right the ship after less-than-stellar play in his last outing. Edinson Volquez takes the mound tonight for the Reds, and he'll look to prey on the struggling Giants hitters.</p>
<p>The Giants need this series more than the Reds do, so it will be interesting to see how it goes down.</p>
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<h4>3 game series vs Reds @ AT&T Park</h4>
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<p class="game-info"><span>Monday, Aug 23, 2010, 7:15 PM PDT</span><br> AT&T Park</p>
<p class="pitchers"><span>Edinson Volquez</span> vs <span>Matt Cain</span></p>
<p class="weather"> Partly cloudy. Winds blowing in from center field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 90.</p>
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<p class="foot clearfix"><span class="link-more"><span>Complete Coverage ></span></span></p>
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<td class="td-first">Tue 08/24 - <span>Travis Wood</span> <b>vs. </b>Jonathan Sanchez</td>
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<td class="td-last"><span>7:15 PM PDT</span></td>
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<td class="td-first">Wed 08/25 - <span>Homer Bailey</span> <b>vs. </b><span>Madison Bumgarner</span>
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<td class="td-last"><span>12:45 PM PDT</span></td>
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<p>SB Nation's San Francisco Giants blog, McCovey Chronicles has a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2010/8/23/1638020/giants-reds-series-preview">series preview right here</a>. Our Cincinnati Reds blog, Red Reporter, has a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.redreporter.com/2010/8/23/1637925/giants-series-preview-a-planetary">series preview right here</a>.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/8/23/2319824/giants-host-cincinnati-reds-for-three-game-seriesJames Brady