Thanks, Conrad!

Giants fans all know that the hero this evening is clearly Aubrey Huff.

In what was a rather un-eventful game, the Giants emerged with a 3-2 win against Atlanta. For Atlanta, the game was heart-breaking.

Huff might be the man of the hour, but I can't say that we could have done it without Braves' second baseman, Brooks Conrad. I am indeed thanking the second baseman of the opposing team, why? Let's just say, Errors.

Plural. The guy errored 3 times in the game.

He errored once in the first, looking like he had lost the ball, but Tim Hudson dug himself out of that sticky situation and the Giants left two men stranded. We can assume that Conrad was...let off on a warning.

Don't do that next time.

The second time he errored, he wasn't so lucky. In the 2nd, Mike Fontenot lead off with a triple, a big hit for the Giants. Fontenot took the place of third baseman Pablo Sandoval today, thus allowing us to keep Freddy in second. Anyway, Fontenot tripled, bringing up Cody Ross. Ross had sort of an off offensive day today, at least in comparison to his last several games in which he has at least doubled once in each game. He had a good defensive day though, both out in right field fighting the strong sunlight and out in left. He's been a key offensive player in this series. Ross comes up to bat, and it appears to be an easy out; a pop up to shallow right field. The right fielder comes running in for it, and so does Conrad who calls it, he reaches, he looks like he has it, but it just pops right out of his glove.

Fonenot who was on third came home easy making the score 1-0, which is what it was for a majority of the game. Cody Ross was safe at first. This time, Conrad didn't get out of that one. The Atlanta crowd looked like zombies for a lot of the game, Jonathan Sanchez not allowing a single run up until the bottom of the sixth when Tim Hudson broke up Sanchez's no hitter with a ball out to shallow right field. Sanchez ended up striking out 11, and allowing just 1 walk throughout the 8 innings he pitched.

Our pitching rotation, our starting pitching rotation has been incredible. Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez able to hang on to leads. Our bullpen on the other hand seems to have the play-off jitters. They're going to need to shake those off, clearly Wilson has shaken them off, so the rest of the bullpen should follow suit. Our bullpen, which is one of the best, and maybe even THE best in all of the majors is back to the way they were pitching in August. Our pitching in August was frankly, not a good sight.

Braves fans, like zombies, came back to life in the 8th inning right after we put Sergio Romo out there. Romo and Lopez were both warming up in the bullpen, but Bochy put Romo out there instead; Romo, I'm sure, was trying to redeem himself for the mess he sort of, kind of got us in Friday night. He was unsuccessful in that he gave up a a home run to Eric Hinske in the 8th with a man on base, making the score 2-1 Braves. 

Hinske would have been the story.

His big hit would have made him man of the hour for the Braves, and Mr. Asshole of the hour for the Giants. However, that was not the case today.

The Giants mounted a comeback. With one out in the 9th, Travis Ishikawa, pinch hitting, drew a walk. The Giants had a base runner. Andres Torres struck out, bringing up Freddy Sanchez with two outs. The Giants were just barely hanging on. The Braves were just 3 strikes, or a pop out, or a line out, or a ground out away from taking game 3.

 Freddy Sanchez, clinging to a life singled off of Krimbel.

Bobby Cox called up lefty Dunn to pitch against lefty Aubrey Huff. Huff tends to hit better against lefties.

Giants fans were holding their breaths again, with two men on, and two outs, we were back to holding on for our lives. Aubrey Huff didn't seem the feel the pressure. Dunn however, looked like he was feeling it.

Braves fans were on their feet, cheering for him to close the game already.

Unfortunately for them, it wasn't so easy.

Aubrey Huff came through for us with a single, sending Ishikawa home, and tying the score in the top of the 9th. The Giants were alive! There was a pulse!!

But the Giants didn't feel that was enough. After the few pitches that Dunn threw, Cox called upon Moylan to pitch against rookie catcher Buster Posey. There's kind of a pattern -- if Huff is on it, Posey's on it. It SORT OF went that way. Sort of.

This is where we need to thank Brooks Conrad again.

With a men on first and second, Buster Posey sends a ball straight at the second baseman, like the guy didn't even have to MOVE to get the ball.

But maybe Conrad is secretley a Giants fan because he pulled a Bill Bucker and let that ball roll right through his legs and into the outfield.

Freddy Sanchez was safe at home and the Giants were very, very much alive.

Braves fans were silenced. The story was no longer about Eric Hinske, it was about a 9th inning come back with just one out left.

With one out left, we hung on. That says something about the team.

It says to Jonathan Sanchez, "we got your back."

I have no idea what that says about the Braves' second baseman...

Brian Wilson made an appearance in the ninth to take care of business, which he did. Brian Wilson got the  save, ending Game 3 for the Giants and the Braves.

It's funny (well, funny isn't the word I would use, but I can't think of a better one) to think that if we had hung on to that lead in Game 2, we would have clinched. But I guess the baseball gods just wanted to make things interesting. Well, mission accomplished to them!

This series has been about taking advantages, or least it's starting to be. We definitely took advantage of Billy Wagner being out. Losing Billy Wagner was no doubt a HUGE blow to the Braves, and Bobby Cox did what he could. The Giants took advantage of this.

Andres Torres stole a base today, even after Hudson's crazy attempts to keep him at first, he still went for it, and made it. However, he was left stranded on second maybe one pitch or so later. With Torres back in our line up (he's been back for awhile) we have some speed in the 1st and 8th spots of our line up. 8th spot being Ross, who apparently has wheels. The speed isn't necessary, I suppose, but it's nice to know that we have it.

The Giants will send out rookie pitcher Madison Bumgarner tomorrow, 

and the Braves will send out Derek Lowe on two days rest.

Before we go out there tomorrow for Game 4, our bullpen needs to shake off their jitters, because we need them. We need all the guys on the team to be playing their bests, we can't afford any less.

Who knows what the baseball gods have in store for tomorrow,

we'll just have to wait and see.

Hold your breaths Giants fans because

 We're gonna keep on fighting.