NLDS Game 4

Nothing I write here will do this game justice; nothing anybody writes will do the whole series justice. The Braves and the Giants played 4 games throughout this NLDS series, all one run games that had EVERYONE on the edge of their seats. Not for a moment was anything for certain. Things changed in split seconds -- if you blinked, you'd miss some crucial turning point in the game.

The series was flawed with errors on both sides. The hitting was minimal, the pitching phenomenal.

The series has come to an end, but there's so much to say about it.

Game 4 was the most intense game I'd ever sat through.

The Braves' Derek Lowe came in on 3-days rest and got through the Giants order no sweat. The Giants were hitless against Lowe until the 6th. The only base-runner had been Andres Torres who had gotten on base via an error by shortstop Gonzalez, but he was caught stealing second shortly after.

The Giants sent out rookie pitcher Madiosn Bumgarner. The North Carolina native is just 21 years old, and he just turned 21 too. If his birthday had been any later he wouldn't have been able to celebrate with the guys in the clubhouse legally. Despite his young age, he pitched beautifully for about 6-innings with the help of Buster Posey behind the plate. I think that Posey is partly responsible for the success we've had with our pitching rotation and our unstoppable bullpen. Bumgarner limited the Braves' damage to just one run. Like I said though, things change instantly.

After my thousands of rants on Cody Ross, I can't help but to feel like I have the right to say, I told you so. 

Cody Ross, lucky #13 would be the one to break up Lowe's no-hitter with a home run over the wall.

After his first at-bat, Edgar Renteria told him, "Cody, get your foot down." Maybe that did it for him.

But the Braves, who were trying not only to stay alive for one more day, but also win one for their retiring manager Bobby Cox returned the aggressiveness.

Braves' catcher, Brian McCann sent a home run ball almost a mirror image to Ross' home run to put the Braves on top again.

The Braves were going to put up a fight, and the Giants did the same. In the top of the 7th, we loaded the bases. Aubrey Huff drew a walk and Buster Posey singled --  Pat Burrell also drew a walk, and Bobby Cox came out to take the ball from an exhausted looking Derek Lowe. Peter Moylan came out to face Juan Uribe with one out and the bases loaded -- a pressure situation indeed.

Uribe got to first on an error by Gonzalez, his second of the game. Huff came home to tie the game and everyone was safe. Moylan sat down and Venters came up to try and keep the score at 2-2. Aaron Rowand came out for a pinch hit to replace Mike Fontenot who had a few stumbles himself in this game. Rowand struck out swinging, but nobody was breathing easy. Not Giants fans who ddesperately wanted a lead in the 7th and not Braves fans who knew that there was still 1-out to go, and as they'd learned from yesterdays game, a lot can happen even if there's just one out to go.

Cody Ross came up to bat.

Cody singles in Buster Posey, earning his 2nd RBI of the game, 3rd of the series (because obviously the error yesterday didn't count), and putting the Giants ahead by 1.

The inning ended there, Burrell got thrown out at home, but Bochy turned to our bullpen to hang on to that 1-run lead. Our bullpen must have shaken off whatever jitters they were having before this, because they came out there and took care of business.

The game was suspenseful up until the very last out. The Braves ended up stranding two men on. The throw that ended the game, and Bobby Cox's career could have been disastrous for the Giants. Juan Uribe gloved Melky Cabrera's grounder perfectly fine, but the throw to first was VERY high. Travis Ishikawa who'd come in to play first handled it neatly, jumping up to catch the ball, but in time to get his foot back on the bag for an out, thus ending the ball game. Brian Wilson earned his second post-season save.

The Giants gathered to celebrate, but not before the crowd chanted for Bobby Cox to come out. When the Giants paused to clap and cheer for him, Cox waved back. The crowd stood and cheered for the former Braves manager who had watched his team play for the last time.

They didn't play in front of a full crowd, and they didn't win the game, but Bobby's got a lot to be proud of. Cox stepped out today, for the last time in his #6 uniform, a legend leaving the field for good.

The Giants players only had good things to say about him. Bobby Cox will be missed, his presence will be irreplaceable. He leaves behind a void that will likely never be filled, but also a team that will carry on his legacy.

The moment ended when Cox disappeared back into the clubhouse, and the Giants returned to celebrating. Cody Ross was whisked away to do press conferences, and joined the celebrations a little bit later.

Everybody keeps saying that he was an unlikely hero, but to me, I saw it coming. It's the whole 'gut feeling' thing again, I guess. I'd been talking about him the moment we got him off waivers, the day he hit a single for San Francisco in his first at-bat as a Giant; or when he was running for his life to first base against the Dodgers.  He might be an unlikely hero to everyone else, but to me, he was just waiting for the right moment.

"'Gimme some! Gimme some!' Ross shouted as he entered the scrum of players celebrating in the visitors' clubhouse at Turner Field. Oh, they gave him some, all right. Enough adult beverages to get a fraternity through a weekend immediately poured all over the outfielder's shaven head. 'Can't breathe! Can't breathe!' he said laughing as he ran out of the sudsy shower he'd so gleefully requested and received." - MLB.com

I'm pretty sure I've already said this,

but Cody, I love you, breh. 

"You know, the past is the past. I'm glad I'm where I'm at now, and I'm happy to be here and I'm just enjoying the ride."

- #13 Cody Ross

And what a ride it's been.

Sure, enjoyable in times like these, but being a fan all season long, there were some moments of heartbreak no doubt. That's the thing about baseball though, it'll break your heart, but it always makes it up to you somehow.

"'I watched the whole throw, every millisecond of it, watched Ishikawa's foot, saw the umpire call him out and then -- pandemonium,' Wilson said. 'It was, 'Where am I? Who's going to hit me? Do we even do that right now? I don't care. I'm going to jump around.'"

-Brian Wilson
(yahoo news)

I think I had my eyes closed during that last play too, but after that it was reason to celebrate. Fans have roughly 2 days to jump around, celebrate, eat cake, pie, parrrttyyy in the middle of the damn week...and then we can settle back into our stress mood again.

"I don't know how you can be a fan of this team all year, it's a grind...we don't do it easy."

- #17 Aubrey Huff.

(ESPN)

In response, I'd have to say, it hasn't been easy all year long, but moments like these go a long away. I love this team, and truthfully, in the beginning of this season, I saw the team as a whole bunch of guys who played as individuals. We didn't really come together as a team just yet. It took some time, and some new guys and suddenly we were playing play-off quality. Getting to watch the team come together has been amazing, and this baseball season is going to be UNFORGETTABLE.

This series will be unforgettable.

No, the Giants don't do it easy, but 'easy' isn't necessarily what we want to see. They put our faith to the ultimate test.

But in moments like these, in the thrill of the win, the thrill of your favorite outfielder whom you pleaded to be in the starting line up (pleaded to no one influential of course), is the HERO...that's when it's all worth it.

It's worth it when you see all the guys jumping around in the clubhouse like little kids.

It's worth it when you're hugging random strangers in Giants jerseys.

It's worth it when you've lost your voice cheering.  

It's all worth it when your team pulls through an amazing win.

No, easy isn't what we want.

Forget all the bandwagon fans -- they're just experiencing the torture. Those of us who've followed the Giants forever, we've already gotten used to it. 

And all that torture just makes every unforgettable win, like this one that makes it just that much better.

Giants --

Let's go round 2.

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.