Dodgers 5, Giants 4. This was primed to be the most inspirational win of the young season after Aaron Rowand's three-run homer put the Giants up 4-2 in the 8th. They hadn't done squat until then thanks to the nasty Clayton Kershaw, and Rowand popped an 0-2 pitch from an out-of-nowhere reliever. (Let's not forget Rich Aurilia's tough AB for a single just before against Hong-Chih Kuo -- great stuff.)
Unfortunately the Giants bullpen had a bad night. It happens. It's easy to blame Jeremy Affeldt, Bob Howry, and Brian Wilson. But the real culprit tonight was Bruce Bochy. To start the 8th, Bochy let the lefty Affeldt face Andre Ethier, a lefty. He singled. Up next: The righty Russell Martin. In came the righty Bob Howry to pitch. OK, fine.
But Martin doubled to put the tying run on second with no outs. At this point, it was time to start thinking strikeout at all costs, and the best guy for that is Brian Wilson. No outs in the eighth? Too early for your closer? For the best guy in the bullpen? He hadn't thrown a meaningful inning all year, only two appearances in the first eight games, so throwing more than an inning shouldn't have been a problem.
Instead, Bochy stuck with Howry. The next batter, James Loney, hit a sac fly to right to score one and move Martin to third. The Giants still had a 4-3 lead, one out, and the situation absolutely screamed for a strikeout. The next batter Matt Kemp was lifetime 2 for 4 against Howry, plus Howry obviously wasn't fooling anyone. Kemp lifetime vs. Wilson? 0 for 6 with 4 Ks.
Nope. Sorry. Howry stayed in, got two strikes on Kemp, then left a fastball over the plate. Base hit, game tied. Howry managed to finish the inning and keep it tied, but the big mo from Rowand's home run was gone daddy gone.
So bottom of the ninth, game still tied 4-4 and Wilson was warm, but Bochy kept Howry in to start. Two strikes on Hudson, then a terrible pitch at the belt: Single to left. Two strikes on Manny, then a slider caught too much of the plate: Single to right.
Finally, Bochy brought in Wilson after the bases were intentionally loaded. He got one out but couldn't find enough plate against James Loney, who took a walk and ended the game.
I don't mind that the Giants made Clayton Kershaw look like Sandy Koufax. I don't mind that Affeldt and Howry had bad nights or that Wilson walked Loney with no margin for error. But Bruce Bochy, why did you save Brian Wilson until the game got nearly impossible? Why not bring him in with a 4-3 lead and one out in the eighth and a guy he absolutely owned at the plate and let the world's most well-rested closer try for a five-out save? Why didn't you give your players the best chance to win a game they sorely needed? Bruce Bochy, what the fuck were you thinking?
