Giants pull even with Reds, set stage for Game 5: Quick hits

Pagan's leadoff homer set the tone for a big Giants' offensive performance. (US Presswire)

The Giants packed the punch Wednesday afternoon in Cincinnati, taking down the Reds 8-3 and evening the best-of-five series at two games apiece.

Hero: Angel Pagan set the tone for the Giants' offense with a home run to lead off the game. Then, in the fifth inning with the Reds having crept to within one (3-2), Pagan delivered an RBI double and scored on a sacrifice fly. So with a 5-2 lead, Pagan had accounted for two runs and two RBI. Picking Pagan over Tim Lincecum was a tough call, but we'll give the nod to the Giants' offense here. Pablo Sandoval would be a worthy choice as well (see below for more on him).

Goat: It's easy to blame Mike Leake, but he's the Reds' No. 5 starter and wouldn't even have been thrown in the fire if not for a freak injury. How about Joey Votto? The Reds' superstar left two on base in the second and struck out with two on and one out in the fourth. He later struck out to lead off the seventh. Yes, Votto did single twice, meaning he went 2-for-5 in the game, but he didn't get the job done with runners on base and then struck out with a chance to start a rally. The hit in the ninth came with two outs and the game basically over. The fact of the matter is this one had all the makings of a slugfest and the Reds didn't keep up, in large part because of their best player.

Turning point: Speaking of the expected slugfest, I'm going with the turning point being Giants manager Bruce Bochy's quick hook of Barry Zito. From there, Bochy was masterful in using his bullpen. He got three outs total out of George Kontos and Jose Mijares before turning the ball over to Lincecum, who took control of the game from the middle innings into the late innings (he went 4 1/3 innings in relief, allowing only two hits and a run while striking out six).

It was over when: Pablo Sandoval sent an absolute bomb into the right-field sky. By the time it eventually landed in the Giants bullpen, San Francisco had an 8-3 lead in the top of the seventh inning. The game was already headed the Giants way, but such a booming home run amounted to the proverbial nail in the coffin.

Next: It's the way we all like it, no? Well, maybe not Reds or Giants fans, as the blood pressure will certainly be through the roof, but all baseball fans get to tune in to a do-or-die Game 5. Unfortunately, it's at 1:07 p.m. ET -- which is 10:07 a.m. in San Francisco. Practice your "call in sick" voice tonight with a friend over the phone. It's a solid pitching matchup, too, in Matt Cain (16-5, 2.79 in regular season) against Mat Latos (14-4, 3.48 in regular season).

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