The Giants were turning the corner and heading home with a 2-1 victory in the bag behind another strong outing from Tim Lincecum. Then, the umpiring crew (once again) blew a call, and opened the door for a 9th-inning Dodger rally that plated a run, and denied Lincecum the victory. With one out in the 9th, Rafael Furcal attempted to leg out an infield hit, and was called safe by umpire Gary Darling when it appeared he was out. Bench Coach Ron Wotus came out to argue the call, and was ejected from the game. Wotus was managing the team in place of the earlier-ejected Bruce Bochy; third base boach Tim Flannery ended up managing the last inning-and-a-half. It was the second time in the series Bochy had been ejected. Monday night, the skipper was tossed after two close plays at first base went against the Giants. The replays clearly showed that both Freddy Sanchez and Rich Aurillia were safe. Bochy's mounting frustration earned him another early shower Wednesday after a close pick-off play at first base involving Manny Ramirez.
The Dodgers seemed to capitalize on every break they received from the umps, winning Monday and Tuesday, and looking for the road sweep at A.T.& T. Park Wednesday afternoon. After Furcal was awarded first base on the infield hit, he advanced to second on a fly-out by Russell Martin, and later scored the tying-run on a clutch base hit by Andre Eithier to make it 2-2. The single knocked Lincecum out of the game after working 8 and two-thirds innings, allowing two runs on four hits with one walk and seven strike outs. Brian Wilson took over and finished the 9th with a strike-out, and proceeded to strike-out the side in the top of the 10th. Juan Uribe smashed a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame off Guillermo Mota to pull-out a 4-2 victory, salvaging the final game of the series (and the home stand).
Yes, a dramatic ending, but there was so much more tension in this game - it really had a play-off feel to it. San Francisco plated its two runs in the fifth-inning against relievers James McDonald and Hong-Chih-Kuo to grab a 2-0 lead. The Dodgers were using up the bullpen going into an off-day. Chad Billingsley was scratched from the duel of aces with Lincecum because of a tweaked left hamstring. Jeff Weaver started the game, followed by McDonald, who hit Pablo Sandoval with a pitch. Sandoval didn't like it, and took a couple of steps towards the mound, shouting at McDonald. Moments later, catcher Russell Martin, who had been up-ended at the plate on a slide by Eugenio Velez just before the HBP, had to be separated from Edgar Renteria. Renteria wasn't even in the game, but came charging out of the dougout in a full sprint to get in Martin's face. The benches emptied, but no major action, and no one was ejected. Once the dust had settled, Home Plate Umpire Paul Emmel rulled that Sandoval was in the act of swinging, and was assessed a strike, rather than being awarded first base. Replays again showed that Sandoval was nailed near the left elbow - another call against the Giants.
The Giants certainly didn't have the home stand they were hoping for after taking two of three from Houston on the road last week. Following a very disappointing weekend against Cincinnati, where both Lincecum AND Cain lost to the Reds, San Francisco then dropped two of three to the Dodgers to finish a 2-and-4 homestand. Now, a cross-country flight to New York, and a four-game wrap-around series against the Mets at the new Citi Field. Look for Lincecum to maybe start the Monday game as the team could skip its fifth starter with Thursday's travel day. Then, its off to Cincinnati for three and Colorado for four before the team returns home to host Arizona August 25th following an 11-game roadie.
Keywords: Bruce Bochy, Chad Billingsley, Cincinnati Reds, Gary Darling, James McDonald, Juan Uribe, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Pablo Sandoval, Rafael Furcal, Ron Wotus, San Francisco Giants, Tim Lincecum
