Jake Peavy solid as San Francisco tops Nationals, 3-2
By Jake Misener
Veteran right-hander Jake Peavy pitched into the sixth and a trio of RBI singles by three different San Francisco Giants players led the club to a 3-2 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday afternoon in the opening bout of the National League Division Series.
San Francisco held off a late Washington rally in the bottom of the seventh, when Bryce Harper and Asdrubal Cabrera each hit towering home runs – with Harper’s coming in just shy of 450 feet – to pull the Nationals within one, 3-2. However, the team would never deliver the crushing blow to pull even, stranding a pair of runners in the eighth and going down quietly in the ninth en route to the loss.
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Rookie Joe Panik opened the scoring in the top of the third with an RBI single that plated Travis Ishikawa. Brandon Belt, who has been off to a hot start during the postseason, added a run on a single of his own in the next inning, extending the Giants’ lead to 2-0. Neither team scored again until the seventh, when Buster Posey delivered what proved to be the deciding blow with a single up the middle that deflected off the glove of pitcher Craig Stammen.
Washington starter Stephen Strasburg, making his postseason debut, allowed eight hits amounting to two runs in just five innings of work, throwing just 89 pitches. Four Washington relievers combined to allow just one run in relief of the hard-throwing right-hander, who was saddled with the loss.
His counterpart, Peavy, allowed just two base hits, walking three in 5 2/3 innings of work – holding Washington hitless until halfway through the contest, in a solid start for the righty.
Neither team was particularly clutch in the opener, with the Giants going 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position and the Nats going 0-for-5.
San Francisco shortstop Brandon Crawford led the club’s offense with three hits, while Panik and Belt each added a pair of knocks, as well. Harper was the only Washington player to manage more than two hits.