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Giants win Tenth Straight with Close Call in LA

The Giants have taken command over the D1 East over the past two weeks, winning ten straight games for a 16-6 record and a four game lead over Philadelphia and Tampa.

Brian Sawyer, who joined the Giants in the offseason after a bounce-back 2037, was nearly unhittable over eight innings against Los Angeles, and though the game was nearly lost by New York's bullpen, the lead held.

The Giants got to LA starter Alex Turner early, with a run each in the first and second innings. 3B Jim Clark smacked a one out double down the RF line, and scored six pitches later as 2B Andrew Fitts - off to a great start - singled him home for his 14th RBI. Matt Wood followed with another single, but the next two batters struck out against Turner to end the threat.

In the second, the scoring was less complex as rookie Luis Nazario, who showed prodigious power in the minors, launched the second homer of his big league career to make it 2-0 Giants.

That's pretty much where it stayed for the next seven innings. Sawyer allowed a walk and a single to put a man on third in the third, but got out of it. A walk and a balk put a runner on second in the fourth, but he got out of it. Two more singles, in the 5th and the 8th, were stranded, as Sawyer struck out 9 and walked only two.

That's all they had because after that second inning, Alex Turner stifled the potent Giants. He scattered five hits, only really running into trouble in the fifth when Burcham and Fitts singled and Wood walked to load the bases. But Turner got Idar Olsen looking on three pitches to end the threat. He faced the minimum in the 6th and 7th before being pulled, with a final line of seven innings, two runs on nine hits, nine strikeouts, and a walk.

Jaheim Johnson replaced Turner, and cruised through the tops of the 8th and the 9th, allowing just a single in the 8th to Wood, who was 3-3 on the day. Johnson struck out three over his innings, and never allowed a runner into scoring position.

Sawyer returned for the ninth. He was greeted iby a Brian Gilman solo shot on a 2-2 pitch to cut the Giants' lead to one, a shot which chased him from the game in favor of closer Steve Smith.

Smith had only three saves in five chances with a 4.70 ERA and 5.00 FIP, and this one one of the toughest situations he had faced so far in the season. He got Hyun-woo Park to fly out harmlessly, but then, Caleb Battle singled. With one out and a man on first, light-hitting Frank Mozo stepped to the plate, but threats loomed after him in Danny Cadavid and Jake Baldwin.

Mozo squared to bunt on the first pitch, but pulled it back when it sailed high. Smith must have seen something from Battle at first, because before the next pitch he whirled and threw a dart to first, at ankle height. The first baseman applied the tag to Battle, who must have been leaning slightly to get a jump on the bunt. He was out, and now Smith faced Mozo with two out, nobody on. After a strike, Mozo flew out to center, ending the inning and the game for Smith's fourth save and the Giants' tenth straight victory.