SFGate/San Francisco Chronicle
Relief pitching has buoyed the Giants all season. Since the All-Star break, the bullpen has gone beyond whatever is better than "buoying."
Five relievers - Santiago Casilla, Jeremy Affeldt, Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez and Brian Wilson - combined for four hitless innings Saturday night as the Giants subdued Milwaukee 4-2 in China Basin.
In the nine games since the break, the relievers have thrown 30 2/3 innings and allowed all of one earned run.
"What they've done, it's been a lot of fun to watch," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "They're saving us so many times, last year, this year. They're all very good. They like pitching with the game on the line."
Wilson needed only five pitches to record the three outs in the ninth to pick up his 30th save. He said much of the relievers' success derives from their manager.
"Bochy uses the guys in the right situations," Wilson said. Bochy "knows our strengths and our weaknesses, and he nailed it once again."
Ryan Vogelsong was the beneficiary of the bullpen's work Saturday. He gave up two runs on seven hits in five innings as his record improved to 8-1.
Vogelsong joined the chorus of praising the relievers.
"They were great tonight," he said. "Every single one of them threw the ball great. They won the game for us.
"I really didn't have much to do with it."
The Brewers' baserunning had a lot to do with the outcome. In the fourth and fifth innings, three of Milwaukee's five outs came on the basepaths - and two of those three outs would have to be termed boneheaded mistakes by the Brewers.
With Milwaukee up 1-0 with one out in the fourth, Casey McGehee singled to left. Rickie Weeks tried to score from second, but Cody Ross' throw to Chris Stewart at the plate cut down Weeks.
There was nothing boneheaded about that play. Later in the inning, though, the Brewers committed the first of their two head-scratching mistakes.
With runners at the corners and George Kottaras at the plate, Yuniesky Betancourt tried to steal second. McGehee then became the victim of a play that rarely works, even in Little League.
Stewart faked a throw to second, which induced McGehee to break for the plate, which enabled Stewart to end the inning by easily tagging out McGehee between third and home.
Stewart said he couldn't remember the last time that play had worked for him.
Then with Ryan Braun at the plate with two outs and the scored tied 2-2 in the fifth, Nyjer Morgan broke for third on a ball that Stewart blocked in front of the plate.
Stewart's throw to Pablo Sandoval nailed Morgan, meaning Braun and his 67 RBIs would lead off the sixth.
By that time, the Giants had taken the lead for good. Aubrey Huff's sacrifice fly off Randy Wolf gave the Giants a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth.
Wolf's lifetime marks against the Giants before Saturday: 9-5 with a 2.77 ERA. He took the loss and dropped to 6-8 this season.
Nate Schierholtz collected three of the seven hits the lefty allowed in his six innings. Schierholtz, who poked a two-run double in the fourth, came into Saturday hitting .186 (8-for-43) against left-handers this season.
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