By Morris Phillips
In a ballgame that took nearly four hours to work through a full nine innings on Monday night, the top of the eighth took on a life of its own.
Seven Padres’ hitters saw pitches from four Giants’ relievers as the home team’s comfortable 5-2 lead shrunk to a run, and the game became potentially a one-pitch affair. In the absence of familiar names like Romo, Affeldt and Lopez, anxious fans and impatient seagulls got initial looks at Derek Law and Josh Osich, and another look at Hunter Strickland, now three seasons into attempting to lock down a defined role in a rapidly changing bullpen.
Woven deep in the web of baseball strategy was manager Bruce Bochy’s faith that his young arms can evolve into a unit as trustworthy as those on his World Series teams sooner rather than later.
“These kids are going to have hiccups,” Bochy confessed.
“They’ll learn from all this.”
Strickland opened the inning and faltered, charged with both Padres’ runs, then Law saw just one batter, hanging a breaking ball to pinch-hitter Brett Wallace, who singled, putting runners at first and third with one out. Osich picked both up by fanning Jemile Weeks, the only batter he faced, and keeping the tying run at third base.
Afterwards, Bochy explained that had Osich faltered, and allowed the Padres to tie the game, he would have opted for another young arm, Mike Broadway. But with the Giants still clinging to a lead, it was time to turn to his most experienced arm, Santiago Casilla, who navigated through the final four outs, giving the Giants a hard-earned 5-4 win.
With the Dodgers falling at home to the Marlins, the win helped negate the effects of this rough home stand in which the home team has won just three of eight, while pulling the Giants within 2 ½ games of the division lead.
To prevail, the Giants got contributions from all over, from Denard Span’s big catch at the center field wall, robbing Matt Kemp of extra bases, to Madison Bumgarner’s gutty performance in which he pitched into the seventh inning. The Giants broke their power drought (just three home runs in their previous 10 games) with Hunter Pence and Buster Posey going deep.
The Giants had 12 hits and that spelled doom for former A’s reliever Drew Pomeranz, who has been an early surprise in San Diego as a starter. On Monday, Pomeranz couldn’t get out of the fifth inning, allowing seven hits, three walks, and four runs.
Bumgarner got the start for the Giants and for once wasn’t matched against the opponent’s ace. The youthful veteran wasn’t that jazzed about his own performance, but left grateful Bochy kept him in the game into the seventh inning, throwing 114 pitches in the process. When the bullpen wobbled and swerved, but didn’t break, Bumgarner was able to pick up his second win of the season.
Angel Pagan contributed three hits, knocking in a pair of runs out of the nine hole to raise his batting average to a healthy .356. The veteran again hit behind Bumgarner, but that’s no slight for a guy who’s made plenty of sacrifices this season. Instead, Pagan trumpeted the quirky strategy.
“After the second inning, it’s just like having another leadoff hitter,” Pagan explained.
Joe Panik contributed three hits, and Posey had a pair of hits and two runs knocked in.
The Giants have Johnny Cueto on the mound Tuesday looking for this fourth win opposed by James Shields, who’s winless in three starts.
