It was thanks to Darren Ford and his speedy baserunning to give the San Francisco Giants their first win in five games, snapping a four-game losing streak as they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 in the tenth inning. In extra innings, Nate Schierholtz doubled and Ford came up to bat, bunting to the right side, and they threw Schierhotlz out at third base. Then, Joel Hanarahan made a throwing error at first attempting to pick him off, and he took advantage by making it all the way around to third base, showcasing extreme speed and heads-up play. Freddy Sanchez came up next, ground out and Ford's speed proved effective again, as it was an infield groundout that most players would not have been able to score on.
Brian Wilson came in the ninth and shut the Pirates down, earning the save and securing the Giants victory. Matt Cain started things off a little shaky, at least in the second inning. Garrett Jones slammed a homerun off of him right after getting a friendly call from the ump on what probably should have been a strike three. Still, Cain pitched six innings, giving up four hits and two runs, while striking out six.
The second run came in the sixth when Matt Diaz was walked, stole second base, and then was brought home by Lyle Overbay on a single. This came right after the Giants had tied the game at one-all in the sixth, when Aaron Rowand hit a leadoff double and was eventually brought home on a sacrifice fly from Aubrey Huff. San Francisco would tie it again in the eighth where Ford as a pinch runner was able to round the bases after a Freddy Sanchez single and a Buster Posey flyout to center field.
Sergio Romo gets the win for the Giants, and Wilson gets the save. Hanrahan gets the loss for the Pirates. The Giants will be sending out Madison Bumgarner in game two, while the Pirates will send James McDonald to the mound.