Maxwell delivers; sweep completed
Yes, Justin Maxwell was the star of the series. Yes, he got big hits, made big plays and showed off his big presence. Yes, his 10th- inning walkoff single secured Thursday’s 3- 2 victory and the Giants’ first sweep of the Dodgers since May 2013.
But as the team flew to Denver for the start of a six- day trip that’ll conclude with another round of Giants- Dodgers games in Los Angeles, two players who absolutely needed to
succeed Thursday were feeling a whole lot better about themselves.
Ryan Vogelsong and Casey McGehee couldn’t have been in a bigger funk entering the day.
By the time Air Bochy took off, they couldn’t have been more pleased.
“There was a lot going through my mind today,” said Vogelsong, who started for injured Jake Peavy and surrendered two runs in six innings. “Just feeling like I really needed to have a good outing to get myself going. If I don’t pitch well, I mean, who knows? Maybe I don’t get another chance to start or even be here anymore.
“You don’t know. This game is not a try game. It’s a results game. If you’re not putting up results, you never know what’s going to happen.”
Vogelsong, who returned to the Giants understanding he wasn’t among the top five starters, entered with a 10.45 ERA and 2.806 WHIP, having surrendered 20 hits and nine walks in 101⁄ innings. Thursday, he
3 was a new man. Three hits. One walk.
Manager Bruce Bochy said Vogelsong will start Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.
“I feel I’m back in 2011 mode,” Vogelsong said. “Every start, I wasn’t quite sure I was going to get another one after that. Maybe this is what I need to get my head out of my butt, so to speak, and throw the ball the way I know how to throw.”
Vogelsong gave up solo homers to Alex Guerrero and Adrian Gonzalez but kept the Giants within striking distance. They came back on Brandon Belt’s RBI single in the sixth and Brandon Crawford’s RBI triple in the ninth, and McGehee’s role was significant in the gametying rally.
After bouncing into a double play and striking out twice in his first three at- bats, his average was down to .158. Then he smoked an opposite- field single to right, and all seemed well again. Crawford tripled home pinch- runner Matt Duffy but was stranded by Gregor Blanco, Nori Aoki and Joe Panik. No worries. Angel Pagan opened the 10th with a single and stole second. Brandon Belt was intentionally walked to set up a force and have Juan Nicasio go after Maxwell, who was instrumental in the series- opening victory with a homer, triple and momentumchanging catch. Maxwell lashed a liner down the left- field line.
“While one at- bat isn’t the end- all, be- all, it was definitely a relief,” McGehee said. “That was the swing I was trying to find, using the big part of the field. Biggest thing I got out of it, instead of chasing hits, I just get in there and competed instead of worrying about the outcome. It felt good to be able to contribute to a win.”
Same with Maxwell, who’s not new to the walk- off business. He had game- ending grand slams with the 2009 Nationals and 2013 Royals ( that one beat the Rangers and clinched a division title for the A’s). He nearly put the Giants ahead in the eighth, but his sizzling liner up the middle wound up in second baseman Howie Kendrick’s glove.