Major League Baseball

Failure to do little things add up in San Francisco Giants' loss to Philadelphia Phillies

Published Oct. 18, 2010 10:10 a.m. ET

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PHILADELPHIA -- On a night when the pitchers continued to own the hitters -- at least those not named Cody Ross or Jimmy Rollins -- Game 2 of the NLCS essentially came down to the little things.

One of them was Mike Fontenot.

The Giants' fill-in third baseman, all 5-foot-8 of him, had a rough night. He was hardly alone -- which means there could be some changes in the lineup for Game 3.

Tuesday could bring the return of "The Panda," Pablo Sandoval at third base, and possibly the resurrection of Aaron Rowand in center field. Buried since midseason, Rowand could be a candidate to replace Andres Torres, who struck out four times from the leadoff spot.

Manager Bruce Bochy wasn't about to commit to anything but said: "Those guys will probably see some playing time. Whether they're going to start that game, I don't know. I'll wait until tomorrow to set that."

There are no easy decisions. While much of the fan base would welcome the return of Sandoval, especially after Fontenot's performance Sunday, the pitching matchup is not favorable. With left-hander Cole Hamels going for the Phillies, Sandoval would be batting right-handed, where he hit .227 with one homer this season.

There might be other options, such as Juan Uribe, if his hand is healed. But Fontenot is likely headed back to the bench. He's 2 for 12 in the playoffs, and his defense failed the Giants on Sunday.

Fontenot's errant throw in the first inning led to a run. Then, in the fourth, he let Rollins' pop fly drop in front of the mound for what was ruled a single.

That one didn't cost the Giants -- except for the extra pitches Jonathan Sanchez needed to throw to work out of the inning. And, in fairness, Sanchez didn't do his part on the play, failing to take charge of the situation and designate an infielder to make the catch.

By that time, some Giants fans might have been predisposed to blame Fontenot for Shane Victorino's leadoff double in the fifth, a hit that led to Philly's second run.

The Giants had just tied the game on Ross' homer when Victorino opened the bottom half with a hot smash down the line. Perhaps a good third baseman, or a natural third baseman, snares that drive. But Fontenot is neither of those things.

"I stretched as much as I could for it,'' said Fontenot, primarily a second baseman during his four years in the majors. "He hit it good."

As for the two legitimate gaffes -- the throwing error and the pop fly -- Fontenot said: "The ball just tailed on me on the first one. On the pop-up, I thought I heard somebody and didn't go after it. I should've caught it anyway.

"We still feel good about leaving here 1-1 and going back home for three games, with the crowd on our side.

"But you've got to make sure you make all the plays."

The Giants' defensive failings went well beyond Fontenot. They did not control the running game, allowing three steals. The Phillies have stolen nine consecutive bases against the Giants this season, six with Buster Posey behind the plate, and there'll be more, if the pitchers don't do a better job of holding runners.

Moreover, there was the botched relay on the play that stretched the Phillies' lead to 3-1.

The Giants seemed to have a sure out at the plate -- until first baseman Aubrey Huff cut off Torres' throw.

"We made some bad defensive plays," Huff acknowledged, and he took responsibility for his. "I made a bad decision there on the cutoff. As I'm getting up on the mound, I glanced at the third-base coach, and he had his hands up. So I'm cutting it off in case the runner takes a big turn."

But the runner, Roy Oswalt, kept going -- right through a stop sign from the third-base coach Sam Perlozzo. And Oswalt slid in ahead of the tag when Huff cut the throw and relayed his own to Posey at the plate.

That 3-1 edge probably was too much for the Giants to overcome -- the way they're hitting and the way Oswalt was pitching.

The issue was made moot minutes later when Rollins cleared the bases with a double off the wall in right to double the Philly run total.

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