Kozma’s circus play at shortstop keeps Giants off board in 5th

With Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter out of the game after only four innings (and five runs), right-hander Joe Kelly took over in the bottom of the fifth.

Kelly preserved the Cardinals’ four-run deficit, but it sure wasn’t easy as the Giants seem to have finally found their home hitting sticks.

Buster Posey led off with a hit to right field, but was forced at second when Hunter Pence rapped into a fielder’s choice. Brandon Belt singled, too, with Pence stopping at second. Gregor Blanco bounced a grounder to Allen Craig at first base; he had time to force Belt, but no more, leaving the Giants with runners at the corner with two outs.

Next up, Brandon Crawford picked on Kelly’s first pitch and sent a laser toward left field but ...

Nice catch, Rook.

When the Giants took the field in the top of the sixth, Marco Scutaro was missing. He’d collected a couple of hits since Matt Holliday barreled into him in the first inning, but apparently the injury finally got to be too much, and Ryan Theriot has taken over at second base.