Wins do not get more routine than the Giants' 7-5, 11-inning triumph at Busch Stadium on Wednesday night.
There are only so many ways you can write the standard come-from-behind-twice, once-with-two-outs-in-the-ninth, stick-Emmanuel-Burriss-at-first-base, have-a-bank-of-lights-go-out victory story, right?
"I've had some pretty interesting innings before," closer Brian Wilson said. "This has to be on top of the charts."
After the Giants scored twice in the 11th to take a 7-5 lead, Wilson was an out away from his 15th save when half a bank of lights went out on the right side, causing a 16-minute delay. Wilson retook the field, warmed up again and needed one pitch to end it.
The Giants won after trailing 3-0 in the sixth and 5-4 with two outs in the ninth to go 3-3 on their trip. They can capture the series against the Central-leading Cardinals by winning tonight against Lance Lynn in his big-league debut.
Tim Lincecum did not have a great night. He allowed five runs, including a two-run Allen Craig homer in the seventh that gave St. Louis a 5-4 lead after Aubrey Huff's homer in the top half broke a 3-3 tie.
Nate Schierholtz did have a great night with three big hits.
He singled against Jake Westbrook to start the three-run tying rally in the sixth, a mere trifle compared with what he did later.
Cardinals closer Fernando Salas, who had been 10-for-10 in saves, retired the first two Giants in the ninth on three pitches before he walked Huff on four. With Schierholtz batting, Burriss, a pinch-runner, stole second. With his team down to its last strike, Schierholtz shot a single through the middle to get Burriss home for a 5-5 tie.
With Brandon Belt's bruised wrist still healing, manager Bruce Bochy had Burriss play first base for the first time as a pro.
In the 11th, also with two outs, Schierholtz broke the tie with a single against Ryan Franklin after Freddy Sanchez hit his second double. Schierholtz scored an insurance run on a Brandon Crawford single.
"It was a great battle," Wilson said. "I had a fan scream down to me in the bullpen, 'It looks like we're not going to need you tonight.' He told me to sit down. Then we scored a run.
"We got heem!"
Though reporters wanted to discuss the bank of lights that went out, and the odds that Cardinals manager Tony La Russa had something to do with it, Giants players wanted to talk about Schierholtz's emergence.
"He's really turning into a major-leaguer this year," Huff said. "He's coming up in big situations and getting big-time hits. When he does that once, and comes up later in the game, you pretty much know he's going to do it again."
Wilson played with Schierholtz at Class A Hagerstown, Md., in 2004, and swears the outfielder hit eight walk-off home runs. Maybe that number is high, but still, Schierholtz showed the proper mettle.
"It definitely helps being in those situations," Schierholtz said. "Every time you follow the first time, you feel less pressure and relax a little more. I wasn't pressing to get a big hit. I didn't try to do too much."
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