Giants Force Game Five

Follow the playoffs on fullofschatz.blogspot.com.  I will be at every home game throughout the playoffs.  You can sign up to follow this blog by registering below also these posts will be submitted to Twitter @Colgar53......Please call 513-240-3120 to advertise in this space.  This is perfect for "watch parties" and specials during the playoffs, ask your suppliers about trade funds

Mike Leake was forced into action when the Reds determined that ace, Johnny Cueto, could not pitch with his strained oblique.

Angel Pagan opened the game with a home run and the San Francisco Giants spent the day adding runs to force a game five with an 8-3 win.

The Reds played catch up but the Giants sprung off the wall at their backs to even the series after dropping a pair at home.  It turns Thursday's game into a winner-take-all situation.

Leake was left off the postseason roster but he was told that he needed to be ready.  His start wasn't good.

"He didn't start off very well in the first couple innings," Dusty Baker said.  "For a couple innings he threw the ball excellent but he wasn't real sharp. He was getting the ball in the middle of the plate."

The 2-0 advantage is gone after taking the first two on the road.  The Reds did not lose three straight games at home all season.

"It's probably hard for them to believe that we were 2-0 out there (San Francisco)," Baker said.  "They reveresed it on us.  We have a big game tomorrow, if we win, it doesn't matter how many games we were up."

After Pagan hit the home run to "wake up our offense," as Pablo Sandoval said.

Giants starter Barry Zito, who was given the ball in place of former Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, had trouble throwing strikes .  He go two quick fly ball outs.  Joey Votto singled up the middle.  Zito walked the next three before striking out Dioner Navarro with the bases loaded.

"My timing was off," Zito said. "I was just missing off the plate.  I wasn't able to pound the strike zone like I had been doing."

The Reds had the tie but failed to deliver the knockout blow.

Gregor Blanco hit a two-run home run off Leake in the second inning.

The Reds got two straight singles after two were out in the second but Zito got Votto to fly out.
Ryan Ludwick led off the next inning with his second home run of the series.  Two outs later, Zito walked Navarro and Bruce Bochy went to his bullpen.  George Kontos got Drew Stubbs to fly out.

The Reds got a leadoff single from Leake in the fourth.  Brandon Phillips struck out but Zack Cozart singled to put two more runners on.  Bochy brought in lefthander, Jose Mijares, who struck out Votto.  It was his only batter.

Bochy went to Lincecum.   Lincecum struck out Ludwick to end the threat.

"That was the game right there," Zito said.  "We fed off the momentum after that."

"The main thing is we left a lot of runners on base," Baker said.  "We had a lot of opportunities early in the game.  We had Barry Zito on the ropes quite a few times.  The main thing tomorrow is to come out fighting.  That's what it's all about.  Tomorrow is the final fight."

Leake had the better of the Giants for two innings but Joaquin Arias and Pagan doubled back-to-back to begin the fifth.  Marco Scutaro bunted Pagan to third.  Sandoval delivered him with a fly to deep center.

Drew Stubbs got one of the two hits that Lincecum allowed in his 4-1/3 innings.  Stubbs scored on Phillips sacrifice fly to make the count 5-3. 

The Giants put the game out of reach with three runs off Jose Arredondo in the seventh.  The nail in the coffin was Sandoval's long home run to the Giants bullpen.

.