Five innings and 75 pitches. That's how long Giants ace Matt Cain lasted in Game 1 of his club's Division Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Cain wasn't terrible, but he did give up three runs: the first two coming on Brandon Phillips' two-run homer, the third on Jay Bruce's mammoth solo blast. So with the Giants down 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth and Cain due to lead off, manager Bruce Bochy pulled the plug, replacing Cain with pinch-hitter Aubrey Huff.
Five innings in the book, still Reds 3, Giants 0
Huff, who batted just .192 in 78 at-bats all season, lifted an easy fly to center field. Angel Pagan followed with a single to left, though. But Marco Scutaro hit into a fielder's choice, and Pablo Sandoval hit a higher hopper to Phillips, who made a fancy bare-handed grab before throwing Panda out.
So after five innings, the Reds own a 3-0 lead. It’s not a huge lead, but on the other hand Cincinnati’s got a fantastic bullpen, capped by Aroldis Chapman. It’s not late, exactly. But it’s getting there.
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