By Alex Pavlovic, San Jose Mercury News –
SAN FRANCISCO—A San Francisco Giants team that prides itself on resiliency was beaten at its own game Saturday night.
The Reds lost Game 1 starter Johnny Cueto after just eight pitches, but the Giants couldn’t take advantage, losing 5-2 and falling behind in the best-of-five National League Division Series. Matt Cain gave up two big homers, and five Reds pitchers combined for 8 2/3 relief innings as Cincinnati stole a game at AT&T Park.
Cueto looked uncomfortable from the start and grimaced when Angel Pagan called for time late during the Giants’ first at-bat of the game. Cueto halted his delivery and spun off the mound but recovered to strike out Pagan.
He got two quick strikes on Marco Scutaro but called for the trainers and was removed because of back spasms. Sam LeCure entered and got two groundouts to get out of the inning as Game 3 starter Mat Latos started stretching in the dugout.
Cueto, who was 19-9 with a 2.78 ERA during the regular season, is listed as day-to-day. The Reds can replace Cueto on the roster but would lose him for the National League Championship Series, too. Reds general manager Walt Jocketty told TBS that the Reds were hopeful Cueto would be able to start Game 3 on Tuesday in Cincinnati.
As Latos warmed up in the visiting bullpen, LeCure ran into trouble in the second inning. Brandon Belt, who had made an acrobatic catch in the top of the first, drew a walk in his first career postseason at-bat. Gregor Blanco followed with a double, and Brandon Crawford was intentionally walked to load the bases.
With a chance to deliver a blow to the scrambling Reds, Cain lined the first pitch he saw to deep right—but right at Jay Bruce.
Cain pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings in the 2010 postseason and extended that streak to 2 2/3 innings before Brandon Phillips jumped on a hanging two-strike curveball and hit a two-run shot into the left-field bleachers.
As Cain struggled with his command, Latos settled in for his first career relief appearance. Latos had started for the Reds on Tuesday but threw just 78 pitches, and he cruised through the third, his first ever relief inning. Hunter Pence reached on an error to lead off the fourth but was doubled off on Belt’s liner to first.
Latos did nothing to harm his reputation as a Giants-killer, throwing four sharp innings of emergency relief. He allowed just a solo homer to Buster Posey before giving way to the normal members of a Reds bullpen that led the majors in ERA.
The Reds had extended their lead when Jay Bruce hit a leadoff homer to right in the fourth. It was Bruce’s eighth hit in 15 career at-bats against Cain, six of which went for extra bases.
Cain’s night lasted just 75 pitches before he was removed for pinch-hitter Aubrey Huff in the bottom of the fifth. After three scoreless postseason starts in 2010, Cain was charged with three earned runs on five hits in his first 2012 playoff appearance.
“He just made a couple of mistakes,” Bochy said of Cain. “We got down three and I had to take him out.”
Left-hander Sean Marshall set down the Giants in order in the seventh, and after the Giants got two runners on in the eighth, Jonathan Broxton struck out Gregor Blanco looking on a 3-2 fastball to end the inning.
With All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman standing on the bullpen mound, the Reds tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth. With two outs, Phillips hit an RBI single off Santiago Casilla, putting runners on first and second. A wild pitch and passed ball made it 5-1 Reds.
The Giants loaded the bases with one out in the ninth against Chapman, one of the game’s pre-eminent closers. After Pablo Sandoval popped up, a wild pitch to Posey scored the Giants’ second run. But Posey struck out swinging on a 100 mph fastball to end the game.
The Giants bounced back from a plethora of problems while running away with the National League West this season. They’ll send Madison Bumgarner to the mound Sunday, hoping to erase this latest setback and make this at least a four-game series.
