Chris Haft
MLB.com
The Giants' second consecutive comeback was tantalizingly within their sights. But it disappeared in the glove of the Pirates' Lastings Milledge.
With the bases loaded and two outs in Saturday night's ninth inning, Milledge dove to snare Freddy Sanchez's drive to left field that seemed destined to fall for an extra-base hit that likely would have tied the score. Thus ended the Giants' 6-3 loss to the Pirates.
One day after overcoming a 4-0 deficit to win the series opener, San Francisco trailed 6-0 through four innings as starter Todd Wellemeyer again struggled in a road appearance. The Giants' pair of sixth-inning runs appeared to have merely a cosmetic effect by making the score less lopsided. Ultimately, though, they set up the drama in the ninth.
Aubrey Huff walked to christen the ninth against Pittsburgh closer Octavio Dotel, who temporarily recovered by striking out Pat Burrell and Buster Posey. Slumping Pablo Sandoval, who batted eighth for the first time in his Major League career, prolonged the inning with a single that sent Huff to third. Nate Schierholtz coaxed a walk on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases.
Andres Torres singled to drive in Huff and send up Sanchez, who's currently San Francisco's most formidable threat. The former Pirate stepped in against Dotel batting .516 (16-for-31) during a nine-game hitting streak.
Sanchez drilled a liner that forced Milledge to race toward the wall. Milledge lunged as he reached the warning track and made the grab with his gloved left arm fully outstretched. Sprawled at the base of the wall, he grinned widely as he brandished the ball to offer proof of the catch.
"I knew I could catch it," Milledge said. "I just didn't know if I was going to run out of room or not or whether to dive or try to go, try to stand up or play it off the wall. I knew I had a shot to catch it, and I just had about a foot of room to make the diving play."
The game's physics conspired against Sanchez, who hit the ball with so much topspin that it ceased to carry toward the wall.
"I thought I got it good enough to get over his head, at least, and ... it died down," Sanchez said.
The chance for a go-ahead grand slam briefly lifted Bruce Bochy's hopes. "I thought when he hit it that it had a chance," the Giants manager said.
But PNC Park happens to be a little bit like AT&T Park.
"The thing about left field here is there's a lot of room back there," said Burrell, who went 1-for-4 in his first appearance with the Giants. "In most ballparks, that might be a homer or off the wall. It's probably not going to get caught. So you have to give him credit for making that play."
And credit Sanchez for an admirable try.
"Those are situations I want to be in. Every time," Sanchez said. "You're not going to get it done all the time, but when you do, it feels good. I wasn't able to come through tonight."
Wellemeyer's ineffectiveness forced the Giants to scramble. The right-hander allowed all of Pittsburgh's runs and nine hits as he lasted two batters into the fourth inning. Wellemeyer (3-5) surmised that he encountered a "dead-arm-day issue."
"I don't know what it was, but the ball was straighter than it's been all year," Wellemeyer said. "[I was] just throwing flat, straight fastballs -- not getting much on the corners."
The disparity between Wellemeyer's excellence at home and woes on the road, already extreme, continued to widen. He owns a 3-1 record and a 2.97 ERA in six appearances at AT&T Park, compared with 0-4, 10.62 ERA in five starts on the road.
"It's hard to figure out, because he throws the ball so well at home and keeps the ball down," Bochy said. "He doesn't get a lot of sink on the road."
Wellemeyer is listed as the Giants' starter for Thursday's series finale at Cincinnati, though Bochy said he would discuss the No. 5 starter's status with general manager Brian Sabean. Coping with what's perceived to be a shaky grip on his role has become a habit for Wellemeyer, who has fended off demotions with strong performances -- invariably at home. That's where the Giants won each of Wellemeyer's previous two outings.
"Two good starts and one bad start hopefully doesn't take me out of the rotation," he said.
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