San Francisco– The Giants got the job done this afternoon, winning 8-7 in dramatic fashion. Andres Torres hit a deep single with the bases loaded to drive home the winning run, Aaron Rowand.
The Giants got off to a bad start, as pitcher Matt Cain allowed two runs in the first. In a back-and-forth game the Giants battled back to tie and then take the lead, only to forfeit a four run lead by the time the ninth inning came along. When Cain left after six innings, the Giants owned a 7-3 lead. The bullpen wasn’t stellar this afternoon, as Ray, Lopez, Mota, and Romo all failed to get the job done. Closer Brian Wilson pitched the ninth and ended up with the win. None-the-less the Giants showed resiliency and left with the “W”.
The Giants now sit 66-50, two games back of the Padres, and hold 1 1/2 over the Phillies and Reds, respectively. These numbers are due to change as games are still in progress. It’s a good thing that the Giants made it out of today’s games in nine innings, as the Padres head to town. The team is running on all cylinders after today’s win, taking the four game series from the Cubs.
Leading the charge for the Giants was Pat Burrell today. Once again the slugger came up huge for the boys from the bay. Burrell went 2-4 with two home runs, two runs scored, and a mammoth five RBI. Burrell now has 12 RBI in the last 10 games. Juan Uribe and Pablo Sandoval, along with Torres put the other RBI’s in the Giants score column.
Jonathon Sanchez will begin the most important series this year for the Giants. Sanchez will square-off against the Padres tomorrow night. It will be important for Sanchez to keep his pitch count down and go at least six innings. The Giants have to be thrilled to be put in this situation at home. With 51 games left, the Giants could claim the NL West lead from the Padres over the weekend and have the chance to not look back. Look for the Giants to continue their second half roll.
Go Giants.
