Casilla does his best, but Giants still win

You gotta wonder how a team can be 21 games over .500 with a ninth-inning situation this bad, but that’s where San Francisco finds itself after a nail-biting 5-4 win over Philadelphia at AT&T Park Friday night.

Yeah, that SEC thing has me hopping mad! (via Twitter)

Santiago Casilla was the defining element of a bullpen that once again scared the collective soul out of Giants fans everywhere, turning what looked like a routine victory into a torturous affair that wasn’t over until the final replay. Casilla vainly searched for his fifth blown save of the season but was saved by the glove of Ramiro Pena after Casilla almost single-handedly sunk what proved to be the 31^st Giants win in their last 40 games – their best 40-game stretch since 1954.

At 48-27 the Giants lead the National League West by seven games. The nearest competition, Los Angeles, dropped an 8-6 decision in Pittsburgh to a Pirates team apparently angry over getting battered by the Giants the previous three games.

The Giants sent the resurgent Jake Peavy, a 15-year vet, to the hill against Philadelphia’s Zach Eflin, who was making his third career start. The Giants got to Eflin early thanks to some fortunate bounces.

Denard Span's one-hopper ate up Phillies first sacker Ryan Howard and the lead-off man was aboard in the first via an error. Elfin came back with two quick outs but Brandon Crawford, hitting fourth with Buster Posey getting a night off, snaked a single up the middle to put men at the corners.

Angel Pagan has been a force since his return from (his latest) injury but it was his speed that made the difference this time. Pagan slapped a dribbler toward short and out-legged Freddie Galvis's throw for an infield single that allowed Span to score.

Peavy got defensive help in the second, and again Galvis was the victim. A double and walk had the Phillies set up, but Brandon Belt snuck in behind Galvis at first and Trevor Brown gunned him down. It. Wasn't. Close.

That was a trend early. Defense was solid, and Peavy gladly got by with a little help from his friends.

The era of good feeling ended in the fourth when Maikel Franco and Howard laced consecutive one-out doubles to tie the game. At that point Peavy had allowed three hits; all two-baggers.

Uh, make that four. Galvis got some retribution, ripping an 0-2 pitch into left center to open the fifth. Peter Bourjos's infield single put runners at the corners. Eflin whiffed but Peavy was starting his third trip through the order; his danger zone.

Cue Kenny Loggins. Peavy minimized the damage but did surrender a sac fly to Odubel Herrera and Philadelphia had a 2-1 edge at the midway point.

Philly had a chance to add on in the seventh. Bourjos laced a one-out triple (what happened to the doubles, Jake?) but Peavy worked out of the jam, striking out pinch hitter Jimmy Paredes and getting Herrera to fly out. Peavy was gone after 102 pitches.

Belt unloads the go-ahead blast. (via Twitter)

The Giants struck hard in the seventh against the Philly pen. Brown legged out an infield single, Posey's pinch-hit sinking liner found a hole, and Panik (after a Span sacrifice) walked to load the bases. Belt unloaded them. His double tothe gap in right center cleared the sacks and gave the Giants a lead. Crawford flied out but Belt moved up, and Pagan struck again with an RBI single to make it 5-2.

Peavy had departed on the short side of the ledger. Now he was in line for a win. "What would you do if I sang out of tune ....?"

The Phillie eighth was a sour note. Derek Law surrendered a one-out triple and Josh Osich added a walk. When Osich bounced a pitch to move the trail runner into scoring position, Manager Bruce Bochy went to Cory Gearrin mid count. Gearrin's first two tosses completed Osich's second walk and brought, of course, Galvis to the plate.

Galvis delivered a single to left that scored a run to make it 5-3 and keep the bases juiced for Bourjos. Gearrin issued the third walk of the inning, this one his own, and it was a one-run game. Gearrin rallied to get an inning-ending groundout but the tension level at AT&T Park had increased significantly.

The Giants did nothing to reduce the tension, going quietly in their half of the eighth.  Javy Lopez and Casilla set the visitors down in the ninth but not without drama. Casilla, the nightmare closer, loaded the bases with a walk, a single and hit batter before getting Tyler Goeddel on a great play by Ramiro Pena that had to be confirmed by replay to mercifully end it.

Peavy got his fourth win of the season against six losses, giving up two runs on seven hits and a pair of walks with four strikeouts. Law, Osich, Gearrin and Lopez each work a third of an inning with Casilla getting the last two outs and credit for a save, his 17th. Tell us that rule isn’t a crock.

The Giants were out-hit 10-9 but were aided by two errors and six walks. Pagan had a three-hit night and Belt added two.

The Giants’ 48 wins are tied for the most in baseball with Chicago’s NL entry. San Francisco goes looking for number 49 on Saturday as ace Madison Bumgarner (8-3, 1.85 ERA) gets the call against heralded prospect turned journeyman Jeremy Helickson (4-6, 4.41).

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