Sometimes, ownage can be a two-way street. For the vast majority of his career, when Mat Latos has faced the Giants, he's basically bent them over a barrel. But when the games have mattered the most, it's the Giants who have had their way with their arch nemesis. In September, 2010, the Giants kicked off their comeback against San Diego by knocking Latos around. I believe Buster Posey contributed with a big fly. Then in Game 162 of that season, we all remember the Johnny Sanchez triple en route to 2 runs and handing him the loss. Posey also added an insurance run late in that game, via a solo shot. Latos struck back in Game 1 of this NLDS, pitching 4 clutch relief innings and giving up just one run (hey, what do you know? It came on a Posey dong-job). Which brings us to the winner-take-all Game 5. With 2 runs already in and the bags loaded, Posey got his man once again. Watching him watch that behemoth blast sail into the upper deck was a thing of beauty. Watching the reactions from the catcher and Latos himself was more than satisfying. Clinching a playoff series is always sweet, but doing it against Mat Latos, whom all Giants fans know is a complete pile, is just perfect. He's got a long offseason ahead of him, and I may write to him every day just to thank him for serving up that pitch to our hero.
After the Posey grand slam, I was comfortable with that 6-0 lead for all of about 5 minutes. Matt Cain immediately began peeing himself, and this game turned out to be nothing short of torturous. Tremendous effort by the defense. Posey's throw, and the catches by Crawford and Pagan all bailed out the Giants' pitching as they navigated through the final 4 innings, all of which were stressful (can I get on Rogaine and send an invoice to the Giants?). Not surprising, considering the new rule the Reds got implemented which allowed them to bring the up top of the order whenever they wanted (at least it seemed that way). Yes, there was something very familiar about this game. It all culminated in another gutsy performance by my favorite Giant, Sergio Romo, who channeled Brian Wilson in earning a 4-out, nothing-easy-about-it Save. That dude is a beast, and it's going to be a shame when he realizes, "hey, I'm the best pitcher on this team. I should be a full-time closer. Who want's to pay me?"
This was a series built on the bullpen for the Giants. While it didn't come through in Games 1 and 2, it was largely responsible for the 3 historic victories. In what will surely turn out to be an underrated performance, George Kontos turned in 3.2 innings, 2 hits, no walks, and no earned runs over 4 appearances. After coming into 2012 as one of the best pitchers in the league, Tim Lincecum was arguably the worst (literally!) in the league by the end of the regular season. So to have him come through with what could be described as a season-saving relief outing in Game 4 was pretty special. He saved the front-line relievers for the decisive Game 5, and they all were needed. You gotta figure he earned a start in the next series.
Speaking of decisions, it should be noted that Bruce Bochy is off to another remarkable start in these playoffs. He's a different manager in the post-season, tailoring all his moves to perfectly fit a short series. It's fun to watch. Yes, that's right. Bruce Bochy: fun to watch. Mind = blown.
I hate the phrase, but there's something about this team that makes you think that they just "know how to win". Whether it's the Pence pre-game speeches, Cain pitching to the score, Bochy's match-up moves, or the bullpen taking it up a notch with runners in scoring position. Maybe after they lost 2 in San Francisco and the world was counting them out -- maybe they had them right where they wanted them. I somehow doubt it was their plan, considering that coming into this series the Reds had not lost 3 in a row at home all year. But this team has made history as the first team to win a best-of-5 series after losing the first 2 at home.
Whatever happens in the NLCS, don't count them out.
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