Arizona D-backs Beat San Francisco Giants, 6-5 in Extra Innings

Farewell to Candlestick Night at AT&T Park

With AT&T Park featuring a stiff wind in honor of “Farewell to Candlestick” Night, the San Francisco Giants scored in each of the second through fifth innings, taking a 5-4 lead on Michael Morse’s double in the fifth, but went on to lose in ten innings to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-5.

Ryan Vogelsong gave up four earned runs, on six hits and a walk, but looked very good at times, and ultimately had no decision.  Randall Delgado started and pitched three and a third innings, giving up three runs on six hits.  Arizona used a total of seven pitchers, with A. Reed getting the save for a perfect bottom of the tenth.  The Giants employed a total of eight pitchers, with Yusmeiro Petit (0-1) being the one who gave up the second RBI single to Tony Campana in the tenth.

Vogelsong got through the first inning, with help from Posey who threw a perfect strike to get the speedy Campana trying to steal second.  Campana jumped up so animatedly that Kirk Gibson held off just long enough to get word from the dugout, before challenging the call.  It took three minutes to determine an outcome, and though it seemed as though he might have beaten the throw, replays could not show conclusively that Campana was indeed safe and the call stood, ending the inning.

With one out in the top of the second, Vogelsong grazed Miguel Montero’s uniform with a pitched ball and walked Mark Trumbo.  Gerardo Parra (4 for 9, with a home run, triple, and 3RBI’s in series) came to the plate and stroked a single into left, loading the bases.  Cliff Pennington then lined a single into left-center field, scoring both Montero and Trumbo.  With runners now on first and third, Randall Delgado bunted up the first base line to Belt, who alertly got Parra trying to scramble back to third.  Campana then took a called third strike to end the inning.

In the bottom of the second, with one out, Hunter Pence doubled right down the third base line.  Brandon Crawford drew a walk and Brandon Hicks (.333 at the start of play) then rifled the first pitch he saw into left, and Pence came around to score when Trumbo bobbled the ball trying to get off a quick throw.  Vogelsong struck out leaving the score, 2-1, Arizona.

Javier Lopez warming up in the bullpen.

Goldschmidt doubled off the right field wall, with one out in the top of the third, and Martin Prado followed with a single to right, that Pence got to so quickly, that Goldschmidt was forced to hold at third.  It didn’t matter when Montero then hit one into the gap between Pagan and Pence, and both Goldschmidt and Prado scored, with Montero ending up at second.  And even though Brandon Hicks muffed a grounder that would have gotten him out of the inning,  Vogelsong came back to get Pennington on a fly ball out to Pence.

Leading off the third inning, Pagan singled and Belt followed with a full-count walk, but Pablo Sandoval grounded into your basic 4-6-3 double play, leaving Pagan on third and Posey up to bat.  Posey then dropped a beauty of a bunt down the third base line, which Montero, in fielding, sent down the first base line, scoring Pagan.  Posey was unable to advance because he was clothes-lined by Goldschmidt, reaching in front of the onrushing Posey, and ended up on the ground.  Pence flied out to Campana in center to end the threat.

Vogelsong finally had a 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, but the Giants came right back, when Michael Morse led off with a double, and Crawford followed with a double of his own, that almost went over the right field wall, Morse scoring and making it a one-run game.  With no one out, Hicks then walked and Vogelsong forced Crawford at third with an unsuccessful sacrifice bunt.  Pagan ended the inning by grounding into a double play.  Vogelsong continued his strong fourth inning effort by striking out Goldschmidt to start the fifth inning, and though he hit Prado with a pitch, he induced a double play ball from Montero to get out of the inning.

Oliver Perez relieved Delgado with one out in the fourth and was himself relieved by Will Harris, with one out in the fifth, after walking Sandoval.  Posey then greeted Harris with a single right up the middle, Sandoval stopping at second.  Pence took a called third strike before Morse unloaded again, this time off the bricks to the right of the 421ft sign in Triples Alley, scoring both Sandoval and Posey and giving the Giants their first lead of the game, 5-4.

Vogelsong began the top of the sixth, but left after yielding a lead-off double to Mark Trumbo.  David Huff came in to get two outs, before J. C. Gutierrez came in to get the final out, getting A.J. Pollock to swing at a third strike.  Giants pitching did it again in the seventh, when Jean Machi loaded the bases and then took a come-backer to begin a 1-2-3 double play, ending up with runners on second and third and two outs.  Javier Lopez relieved Machi and got Montero to swing at a third strike.

In the eighth, however, the luck ran out as the D-backs managed to tie the game.  With one out, Parra walked, Pennington singled, and after Eric Chavez flied out to Juan Perez in left, Tony Campana singled on a ball to Sandoval, Parra scoring on Sandoval’s throwing error.  And in the tenth, it was a repeat, as Pennington singled, stole second, and scored when Campana singled him home.

It hurts that the Giants came so close, because a win tonight would have kept the string of series victories going, and that’s what San Francisco needs.  However, the Giants did take four of the seven so far from Arizona, and will have ample opportunity to get back at the Snakes.  For tonight, chalk one up to the team of Pennington and Campana; at least Goldschmidt didn’t factor into the win, for once.

Sep 21, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong (32) pitches during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports