SF Giants alive after winning 10-inning thriller against Reds

Cincinnati – The Giants are still in trouble, but at least they are alive. For that they can thank Ryan Vogelsong and a bullpen that pitched like they did not want to go home, and the first costly mistake by the Reds in the Division Series.

The Giants won 2-1 in the 10th inning Tuesday night on a two-out error by third baseman Scott Rolen, on a Joaquin Arias groundball, which allowed Buster Posey to score.

Sergio Romo, in his second inning of relief, shut the door in the bottom half to complete the first of what needs to be three consecutive Giants wins to overcome what was a deficit of two games to none in the best-of-five series.


The teams return to Great American Ball Park for Game 4 Wednesday night, with Barry Zito facing a pitcher to be determined.

Ryan Vogelsong, in his first career postseason start, held the Reds to one run in five innings. Jeremy Affeldt, Santiago Casilla, Javier Lopez and Romo shephereded the Giants into extra innings with four combined innings of one-hit ball.

They had to pitch that well because Homer Bailey and the Reds bullpen held the Giants to one hit in nine innings, a Marco Scutaro single with two outs in the sixth. They scored their first run in the third inning without a hit.

Romo’s 1-2-3 ninth was huge besides the obvious reason, that a run would have ended the Giants’ season. It gave the Giants a shot to hit with closer Aroldis Chapman out of the game. Chapman pitched a perfect top half.

Jonathan Broxton started the 1oth and gave up opening singles to Buster Posey and Hunter Pence. Pence singled through the left side for his first hit of the series after apparently injuring his left calf while fouling off a 2-1 pitch.

Pence did not run to first base as much as hobble.

The rally seemed dead when Brandon Belt and Gregor Blanco Xavier Nady struck out. But the Giants got a huge break when Rolen, one of the game’s best defensive third basemen, bobbled Joaquin Arias’ grounder. Rolen recovered and threw to first, but too late, allowing Posey to score and give the Giants their first lead of the series after 28 innings, 2-1.

Manager Bruce Bochy had Tim Lincecum warming in the bullpen, but he let Romo bat with two runners still aboard so he could pitch the bottom of the 1oth.

Bailey, who threw a no-hitter in Pittsburgh on Sept. 28, nearly matched the feat in his seven innings Tuesday. He held the Giants to a Marco Scutaro single with two outs in the sixth inning and struck out 10.

But Bailey was locked in a 1-1 game because the Giants scored without a hit in the third inning. He hit Gregor Blanco, walked Brandon Crawford and allowed the run on an Angel Pagan sacrifice fly after Vogelsong’s sacrifice.

Then he stuck the clamps on the Giants, striking out six in a row starting with Posey in the fourth inning ending with pinch-hitter Aubrey Huff leading off the sixth.

Even as the Giants were being no-hit they were in the game because Vogelsong was able to hold Cincinnati in a way that Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner could not.

Vogelsong found a lot of trouble in a 30-pitch first inning but refused to let the game slip away.

He walked a batter and allowed three singles, catching a break when he threw a pitch to the backstop as Brandon Phillips was stealing second. Phillips tried to take third and Posey threw him out.

Jay Bruce hit a scoring single, but Vogelsong then threw the most important third strike of his life with two on, two out and Scott Rolen batting next. Home-plate umpire Gerry Davis refused to give Vogelsong a 2-2 pitch on the outside corner. Rather than cave, Vogelsong got Rolen looking on a fastball.

Vogelsong did not allow a hit after the fifth inning and retired his final seven hitters after a pair of two-out walks in the third.

Left-hander Sean Marshall replaced Bailey in the eighth and made quick work of three consecutive right-handed pinch-hitters: Xavier Nady,  Arias and Ryan Theriot.