Bochy’s moves key big inning
Pierce Johnson rushed to the bullpen and hurriedly warmed up. It was still the fourth inning, and Giants starter Ty Blach was not tired or hurt.
Bruce Bochy wasn’t messing around.
The Giants were trailing 3-1 and threatening, and Bochy chose not to manage by the book, instead pulling Blach for a pinch-hitter, Pablo Sandoval, the turning point in Tuesday night’s 5-3 victory over the Reds.
Sandoval hit a two-run single to tie the score, and Andrew McCutchen’s fielder’s choice broke the tie. It was a four-run rally that began with Brandon Belt’s homer into McCovey Cove and included a stretch of five singles over six at-bats.
Bochy’s aggressive managing helped dig the Giants out of a hole and win their third straight to push their record above .500.
“I thought my hand was forced and we had enough pitching to get us through it,” Bochy said. “You don’t know when those chances come up like that, so you go for it. That’s what we did there, and Pablo made it look good by getting that huge hit.”
Blach threw just 62 pitches, and two of the runs he yielded were unearned. Second baseman Kelby Tomlinson committed a two-out error in the third, and Eugenio Suarez followed with a home run for a 2-0 Reds lead. The Reds scored again in the fourth on Billy Hamilton’s soft single.
Blach wasn’t struggling, but Bochy figured it was the perfect time for a big inning. Belt opened with his eighth homer of the season, and Evan Longoria, Brandon Crawford and Austin Jackson singled to load the bases.
That’s when Bochy had Johnson rush to the bullpen. Tomlinson struck out, and Blach was called back to the dugout so Sandoval could hit. Sandoval’s opposite-field single drove in Longoria and Crawford for a 3-3 game, chasing Reds starter Tyler Mahle.
While Bochy pulled his starter early, Reds manager Jim Riggleman left his in too long.
“I was surprised a little bit at the situation,” Sandoval said of Bochy’s move, “but the game dictated every move he did. It felt good to help your team win.”
Blach said he had no problem yielding to Sandoval: “We were down a couple runs and needed a big hit right there. We pulled the right strings. That was awesome.”
Buster Posey added, “Those who have been around long enough know you don’t question the moves (Bochy) makes. Obviously, he thought that was a big moment in the game for us, and it turned out to be.”
McCutchen’s fielder’s-choice grounder put the Giants up 4-3. Johnson tossed a perfect fifth, the first of five relievers to each throw a shutout inning.
Tomlinson hit an RBI single in the eighth to give closer Hunter Strickland a two-run cushion, and Strickland earned his ninth save.
Before the final out, a foul tip off Posey’s mask shook up the catcher, who stayed in the game. One pitch later, Joey Votto struck out to end it. Bochy said he considered replacing Posey with Nick Hundley, but Posey said he wanted to stay in.
“I feel good now,” Posey said. “Obviously monitor it and hopefully (I’ll) feel good tomorrow.”
Crawford went 4-for-4, giving him nine hits in his last 12 at-bats. He’s hitting .455 in May, during which his season average jumped 101 points to .290.
Crawford was the only Giant with more than one hit. Longoria would have had two if Hamilton hadn’t made an amazing diving catch in rightcenter in the eighth inning.