It's not Derek Lowe's fault that Tim Lincecum's been unhittable. Lincecum's allowed one hit while generating nine strikeouts through six scoreless innings, and Lowe held up about as well as anyone could've hoped. After a 1-2-3 fifth, though, Lowe got himself into a sixth inning mess. Buster Posey led off by drilling an elevated sinker off the center field wall, ending up on third base, and after a Pat Burrell strikeout, Lowe walked Juan Uribe on six pitches.
Giants Vs. Braves, NLDS Game 1: Derek Lowe Departs In Sixth Inning; Jonny Venters Escapes Jam
At that point, Bobby Cox came out and pulled Lowe from the game in favor of lefty Jonny Venters, who inherited one out and men on the corners. Venters' first pitch to Pablo Sandoval? A low fastball that Sandoval grounded to short for the inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. It was exactly what the Braves were looking for and exactly what the Giants were afraid of, and we now head to the seventh with the score still 1-0.
Lowe’s evening:
5.1 innings
4 hits
1 run
4 walks
6 strikeouts
96 pitches
Lowe threw just 53 strikes, but of the Giants’ 14 balls in play, 11 were grounders, and one was a bunt.
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