May 27th, 2010: Giants score three in the 7th to come back and beat the Nationals

In the rubber game of a three-game slate at AT&T Park with the Washington Nationals, the Giants scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th to come back from an early deficit. Barry Zito took the mound for the Giants, going 6 and 1/3 innings while allowing 7 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), 5 walks, and two home runs. It was the second straight rough performance for Zito, who was coming off a losing performance against his former team, the Oakland Athletics, on May 21st. Over the A’s and National starts, Zito saw his ERA rise from 2.15 to 2.94.

Craig Stammen started for the Nationals and looked to be in line for the victory when he was taken out in the 7th. Stammen allowed 5 hits, 3 runs, and didn’t strike anyone out in his 85-pitch performance. However, he took advantage of an aggressive Giants lineup, as he 15 groundballs in the game.

The Nationals lineup took advantage of Zito early, as Adam Dunn hit his 10th home run of the year in the Top of the first inning to give the Nats an early 1–0 lead. Juan Uribe did tie the game in the bottom of the first with a line-drive single to left that scored Freddy Sanchez, but Josh Willingham gave the Nats a 2–1 with a home run to deep left field, his ninth of the season. Things got worse in the inning, as Pablo Sandoval made a throwing error on a groundball hit by Justin Maxwell, which gave the Nationals a 3–1 lead at the end of the second.

In the bottom of the fourth, Aubrey Huff cut the Nationals lead to one with a home run to deep right field, his fifth of the year. However, the Nationals extended their lead in the 7th, as Santiago Casilla, relieving Zito, gave up a sacrifice fly to Willingham that scored Maxwell from third, and put the Nationals up 4–2 going into the bottom of the seventh.

However, the Giants bats came alive after the seventh-inning stretch at AT&T Park by the Giants faithful. Giants left fielder John Bowker reached on an error by Dunn, and then was able to advance to second on the next pitch on a passed ball thrown by Stammen. Bengie Molina, who was pinch-hitting for the light hitting Eli Whiteside, who started the game at catcher, grounded out to short but was able to advance Bowker to third in the process. With one out and Casilla up next in the nine-spot, manager Bruce Bochy pinch-hit for Casilla with Nate Schierholtz, who ended up staying in the game in right field (right fielder Andres Torres moved to left, which took Bowker out of the game). Nationals manager Jim Riggleman responded by bringing in lefty Sean Burnett. Despite the platoon advantage for Burnett, Schierholtz lined a single to center which scored Bowker and put the tying run on first.

Torres kept the inning alive with a double to right that put runners on second and third with only one out. Riggleman brought in right-handed reliever Tyler Walker against Sanchez, hoping that Walker could help the Nats get out of the jam. However, that was all for naught, as the Giants' second baseman hit a groundball single to left field past third baseman Ryan Zimmerman which scored both Schierholtz and the speedy Torres to give the Giants a 5–4 lead.

Guillermo Mota came in to relieve Casilla in the 8th, and Adam Kennedy started off the inning with a single. However, Willie Harris, who was pinch-hitting for catcher Carlos Maldonado, hit into a 4–6–3 double play, and Mota was able to escape the inning by getting the next batter, Roger Bernadina, to fly out to center.

After a scoreless bottom of the 8th, closer Brian Wilson took the mound, and actually gave Giants fans a “torture-less” bottom of the ninth inning. Wilson went through the Nationals lineup in order, which included striking out Maxwell looking, and Dunn swinging, the latter ending the game. The save was Wilson’s 12th of the year.

Casilla earned the win in the contest, his first of the year, and Burnett for the Nationals took the loss, his second. Walker also earned his first blown save of the year, and Mota garnered his fourth hold of the season. For the Giants, Sanchez and Uribe both had two hits, and Huff led the Giants with 3 hits in the contest.

The Giants ended the series winning two out of three, and with the win, improved their record to 24–22. The Giants sat in fourth place in the NL West after the game and were 3.5 games behind the division-leading San Diego Padres. They would continue their homestand on May 28th against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who were currently last in the division.

Box score and play-by-play courtesy of Baseball-Reference (https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN201005270.shtml)