Giants mimic 'tough' Scutaro, even up NLCS

This browser does not support the video element.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Marco Scutaro began Monday night's game sprawled frighteningly on the infield dirt. But Scutaro soon picked himself up and hoisted the Giants with him.

This postseason has been all about inspiration for the Giants, who have rallied around Hunter Pence's pregame speeches like mountain climbers rally around oxygen. But Pence's exhortations may have been eclipsed by the gutty Scutaro, painful left hip and all. He contributed a two-run single, the biggest hit in a four-run fourth inning, as the Giants evened the National League Championship Series at one game apiece with a 7-1 triumph over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Ryan Vogelsong's seven-inning stint, the finest performance by a Giants starter in this postseason, helped San Francisco seize a slight historical edge. Of the previous 42 teams to lose Game 1 of the NLCS, 23 recovered to win Game 2.

The teams will play the next three games at St. Louis, with Game 3 set for Wednesday at 1 p.m. PT on FOX following Tuesday's scheduled off-day. The Giants need just one victory to bring the best-of-seven series back to AT&T Park for Game 6 on Sunday afternoon.

"That's the goal, to come back home," Giants left-hander Jeremy Affeldt said. "In a perfect world, we take all three and come back home as the World Series attendee. Do I think anybody is going to assume that's going to happen against that team? Absolutely not. But we're going to try to win every game we can and try to push [Games] 6 and 7 back home with us."

This had the feel of an elimination game for the Giants. The Cardinals finished 50-31 at Busch Stadium, sharing the NL's best home record with Cincinnati and Washington. A 2-0 series deficit upon arriving in St. Louis wouldn't have been insurmountable for San Francisco, which overcame that disadvantage against the Reds in the Division Series. But given the October passion of Cardinals fans, the Giants would have faced an especially rigorous challenge.

"It's not a whole lot of fun being down 2-0 and going into somebody else's place," said first baseman Brandon Belt, adding that the win "relieves a little bit of pressure."

Cardinals third baseman David Freese acknowledged the outcome's significance.

"I think it's huge that they won the second game," he said. "Statistically, if you go up 2-0, you've got a pretty good shot of winning the series. That's not the case. Both teams are still confident. I know the Giants are going to turn the page and be ready for Game 3 just like us."

The Giants hope they can play Game 3 with Scutaro, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound second baseman who was injured when Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday, listed at 6-4 and 235 pounds, plowed into him in the first inning in an attempt to break up a double play. Scutaro remained in the game through the fifth inning, then underwent an X-ray (which was negative) and an MRI to determine the extent of the injury. An update on Scutaro's condition is expected Tuesday.

Scutaro's ability to stick around as long as he did deeply impressed the Giants. His productivity was a bonus.

"That shows you how tough he is," said manager Bruce Bochy, who considered Holliday's slide overly late and therefore in violation of baseball's rules.

"What he did was extremely inspiring," Pence said of Scutaro. "We all know what's at stake. This is playoff baseball. We all know that everyone's going to play hard. I don't believe that Holliday was going in to hurt anybody. I believe that he went in really hard to break up a double play and Scutaro took a tough shot."

Center fielder Angel Pagan was among the Giants who surrounded Scutaro after his encounter with Holliday.

"He was definitely in pain," Pagan said. "But he's a tough competitor."

"Tough" was the common denominator in those remarks. That described not only Scutaro but also the club's overall performance.

San Francisco regained its knack for competent pitching as Vogelsong, who defines toughness with his gruff game-day demeanor and his career-long refusal to quit, surrendered four hits and a second-inning run. Vogelsong, who became the first Giants starter in seven postseason games to reach six innings, owns a 1.50 ERA in two postseason starts. San Francisco's other starters have combined for a 7.59 ERA.

"It was a big thing for Vogey to do what he did tonight because, frankly, we needed it," said Affeldt, who pitched a perfect eighth inning before Sergio Romo worked the ninth. "With Vogey giving us what these starters are used to doing, it shows how important it's going to be to continue doing that."

Vogelsong described his increasing effectiveness as the best he has ever pitched in a Major League game.

"I think it was the third inning when [Carlos] Beltran hit the leadoff double, and I was in the stretch. Something clicked mechanically," Vogelsong said. "That's really all I can tell you. I threw a pitch, and it was like, 'That's it, right there. That's how I want to feel.' I was able to run with that feeling and keep it going."

Vogelsong faltered only when opposing pitcher Chris Carpenter lashed a two-out RBI double. That briefly tied the score, since Pagan gave the Giants their first lead at home in this postseason with his leadoff homer. It was Pagan's second leadoff round-tripper of this postseason, pairing him with Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins (2008) as the only players to accomplish this feat in a single postseason.

"You definitely set a tone," Pagan said. "When I hit this one, everybody got so fired up. Obviously [the Cardinals scored] right after, but we never gave up."

The Giants didn't make authoritative contact in their breakthrough fourth, but they were effective enough.

Brandon Belt began the uprising by blooping a one-out double to left field. Gregor Blanco chopped a single to left over a leaping Freese, leaving runners at the corners. Brandon Crawford hit another chopper that Carpenter fielded as he rushed off the mound toward the first-base line. His off-balance throw to first eluded Allen Craig, enabling Crawford to reach safely as Belt scored.

Vogelsong's sacrifice bunt preceded a walk to Pagan that loaded the bases. Up came Scutaro, who retaliated for Holliday's slide in the best way possible by singling home Blanco and Crawford. The speedy Pagan also scored as Holliday misplayed the ball for an error.

Scutaro's replacement, Ryan Theriot, contributed a two-run single in the eighth, which was partially set up by a controversial play earlier in the inning. Cardinals center fielder Jon Jay made an impressive diving catch of Crawford's line drive and appeared to double off Blanco at first, but Blanco was ruled to have evaded the tag.

More from MLB.com

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com