OUCH! Giants second baseman Marco Scutaro is taken out at second base by a sliding Matt Holliday of the Cardinals in the first inning of last night’s 7-1 Giants victory in Game 2 of the NLCS, and grimaces in the aftermath (inset). (AP; Getty Images (inset))
SAN FRANCISCO — Marco Scutaro took a licking, but still managed to keep the Giants alive and kicking in this NL Championship Series.
The Giants second baseman was leveled on a controversial Matt Holliday slide while attempting to turn a double play in last night’s first inning, but stuck around long enough to deliver a key hit that helped sink the Cardinals 7-1 in Game 2 at AT&T Park.
Scutaro was later removed with a left hip injury and sent for X-rays (which were negative), potentially leaving the Giants without their No. 2 hitter when the series, tied at 1-1, resumes tomorrow at Busch Stadium.
Holliday came barreling toward second base in the first inning and appeared to be nearly on top of the bag as he began his slide to break up a potential double play. Scutaro crashed to the ground and was examined by the team trainer but remained in the game until the sixth.
“I really think they got away with an illegal slide there,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “Marco was behind the bag and got smoked. It’s a shame somebody got hurt because of this.”
Holliday later took a measure of responsibility for Scutaro’s injury.
“In hindsight I wish I would have started my slide a step earlier,” Holliday said. “But it was happening fast and you’re trying to get to his lower half so you can’t turn the double play. I hope he’s OK.’’
Holliday was booed lustily by the crowd of 42,679 when he came to the plate in the third. The revenge came in the fourth with Scutaro’s bases-loaded single — ironically enough, the ball was booted by Holliday in left field — that allowed three runs to score and give the Giants a 5-1 lead.
“In my opinion [Holliday’s slide] pumped us up a little bit,” Giants outfielder Hunter Pence said.
Earlier in the inning, Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter threw wild to first base on Brandon Crawford’s chopper, putting the Giants in position to seize control.
Brandon Belt’s double with one out and Gregor Blanco’s ensuing single put runners on the corners. After Carpenter’s wild throw on Crawford’s chopper, on which a run scored, winning pitcher Ryan Vogelsong sacrificed the runners to second and third and Angel Pagan walked to load the bases. Scutaro then put the Giants in firm control with his shot to left-center that cleared the bases with help from Holliday’s fielding blunder.
Ryan Theriot, who replaced Scutaro at second base, broke the game open with a two-run single against Shelby Miller in the eighth that accounted for the final runs.
A night after Madison Bumgarner flopped, Vogelsong gave the Giants a much-needed dandy by lasting seven innings and allowing one run on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
It was the second time in these playoffs Vogelsong produced in a big spot. After the Giants had lost the first two games of the NLDS last week, the right-hander allowed only one run on three hits over five innings against the Reds, putting his team in position for a 2-1 victory in 10 innings.
“We’ve been looking for a quality start, a great start and [Vogelsong] really helped out the bullpen, a gutsy effort,” Bochy said. “That’s quite an effort by him, an effort we needed.”
Carpenter was done after four innings in which he allowed five runs, three of which were unearned, on six hits and two errors. The right-hander received his first postseason loss in his last six decisions after going 4-0 last year before getting a win against the Nationals in Game 3 of the NLDS.
Pagan’s homer leading off the game for the Giants had the sellout crowd rocking. In the process Pagan joined Jimmy Rollins (2008) as the only players with at least two leadoff homers in the same postseason.