Giants get scare from Posey in 3-1 win over Padres
SAN DIEGO — Ryan Vogelsong pitched six strong innings and Buster Posey increased his lead in the NL batting race, but not before giving the playoff-bound San Francisco Giants a big scare in a 3-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.
Posey took a wild pitch off his neck in the second inning with Everth Cabrera batting. Vogelsong’s pitch bounced in the dirt, ricocheted up and hit right underneath Posey’s hockey-style catcher’s mask.
The slugger was on his knees for a few minutes and was attended to by a trainer before staying in the game.
Posey went 2 for 4 with a triple and a double to increase his average to .334, four points better than Andrew McCutchen of Pittsburgh. McCutchen went hitless in two at-bats with a walk, dropping his average two points to .330, during the no-hitter thrown by Cincinnati’s Homer Bailey on Friday night.
Suspended outfielder Melky Cabrera of the Giants has a .346 mark but won’t qualify for the batting crown at his own request after a positive drug test.
Pablo Sandoval had a two-run double for San Francisco, which has won 13 of 16. The Giants, 44-32 away from AT&T Park, have won 23 of their last 32 road games.
Vogelsong (14-9) allowed one unearned run and set a career high for wins. He struck out five and walked one as he beat San Diego for the second time in a week.
Javier Lopez got the first out of the ninth inning before Santiago Casilla came in and allowed consecutive singles. Casilla got the final two outs for his 25th save in 31 chances.
The Giants (92-65), who have already wrapped up the NL West title, moved within three games of Washington and Cincinnati for the league’s best record with five games remaining.
San Francisco’s Marco Scutaro extended his career-best hitting streak to 16 games with an infield single in the third before he left the game one inning later with head and chest congestion.
Posey led off the second with his first triple of the season and scored on Hunter Pence’s infield single.
Vogelsong had a single to lead off the third followed by Scutaro’s one-out infield single. Sandoval then doubled into the left-center gap for two runs and a 3-0 lead.
Vogelsong ran into trouble in the sixth when he allowed a leadoff single to Will Venable. Chase Headley hit a grounder to first baseman Brandon Belt, who attempted to get Venable at second but threw the ball into left field for an error.
Yonder Alonso followed with an RBI single. With runners at first and third, Vogelsong struck out Chris Denorfia and got Cameron Maybin to bounce into an inning-ending double play.
NOTES: Giants RHP Tim Lincecum will pitch Sunday on regular rest. There had been some question about when the two-time Cy Young Award winner would make his next start after he was hit hard in his last outing. ... Posey’s triple was the third of his career. ... San Diego 2B Logan Forsythe (sore right knee) was held out of the starting lineup for the second straight game. ... The Padres extended their player-development contract with Triple-A Tucson of the Pacific Coast League through the 2014 season. ... Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner (16-10, 3.26 ERA) will face Padres LHP Eric Stults (7-3, 2.81) on Saturday night.