SAN FRANCISCO — The Reds won Game 1 of the NLDS 5-2 Saturday night in improbable fashion.
Not only did the visiting Reds knock out the Giants ace, Matt Cain, scoring three runs in five innings against him, but Cincinnati strung together a winning pitching performance using five pitchers in relief after Reds ace Johnny Cueto left the game eight pitches into the first inning because of back spasms. Cueto pitched just a third of an inning, and the Reds bullpen went the rest of the way.
“This is the first time this [back spasms] has happened,” Cueto said through an interpreter. “I felt really good before the game.”
Sam LeCure earned the victory by pitching 1²/₃ scoreless innings. LeCure pitched well, especially having come in cold and at a moment’s notice.
“I was just kind thrust in and didn’t have time to think about it being the post-season,” LeCure said. “I just tried to go back to what I know and execute each pitch and let the chips fall where they may.”
Things couldn’t have started worse for the Reds in the first-ever postseason game between the two teams. Cueto (19-9, 2.78 regular season) threw a fastball for a strike to the Giants’ second batter, Marco Scutaro. Cueto immediately spun off the mound and appeared to be grimacing in pain. Reds manager Dusty Baker and Cincinnati trainers joined Cueto on the mound and after a brief meeting Cueto walked into the Reds dugout with a look of utter frustration.
“When Johnny went down I was like ‘we are done, why, why?” Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips said. “Then I said, ‘Let’s win one for Johnny.’”
The Reds took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third after a leadoff single by Drew Stubs and then a one out, two-run homer by Phillips (3-5, 3 RBIs) into the second row in left-center. Phillips took advantage of a mistake pitch by Cain (16-5, 2.79 in the regular season), a high, hanging curve over the middle of the plate on a 1-2 count.
“Cain is a great pitcher, he just made a mistake and we took advantage,” Phillips said. “He just left a curve up and I hit it.”
Cain struggled with his command in several innings.
“[Cain] wasn’t as sharp as he normally is,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “He was missing spots a little bit; I think that’s fair to say tonight.”
The Reds tacked on another run to lead 3-0 as Jay Bruce, who batted .423 against the Giants during the regular season, led off the fourth inning with a long solo homerun to right-center off a Cain fastball.
“Cain gave me a few pitches I could handle tonight and I hit them,” Bruce said. “We are resilient. Tonight kind of epitomizes our team.”
The Giants Buster Posey, the NL batting champ, led off the sixth inning with a home run to left on the first pitch from Latos, an 87-mph slider. Hunter Pence followed with a deep fly-out to the warning track in centerfield. Latos eventually got out of the inning with no more damage. Latos pitches four solid innings, giving up one run.
“I love pitching here [AT&T Park],” Latos said. “I volunteered to pitch no problem.”
Other than the Posey homer, the Giants didn’t cash in on their opportunities, leaving 11 men on base.
San Francisco loaded the bases in the bottom of the second inning but stranded three runners as Cain sliced a fly ball to right field that looked as if it might drop for an extra-base hit. Nevertheless, Bruce got a good jump on the ball and tracked it down for a running catch to end the threat.
With the Reds leading 5-1, the bottom of the ninth inning was an adventure for fireball Reds reliever Ardolis Chapman, who gave up a single, two walks, and a wild pitch for a run before striking out Posey on a 100-mph fastball to end the game.
In addition to stranding two runners in the ninth, the Giants marooned two in the eighth as well against as Reds reliever Jonathan Broxton struck out Gregor Blanco on a called third strike to end the threat.
Game 2 is Sunday night and features the Reds’ Bronson Arroyo (12-10, 3.74) Reds versus the Giants Madison Bumgarner (16-11, 3.37). All the pressure will be on Bumgarner and the Giants, who desperately need a split in San Francisco or face the dire situation of going back to Cincinnati down by two games to none.
“This is one game and you sure hate to lose the opener,” Bochy said. “But we have a lot of baseball left.”
When asked if Cueto would start Game 3, Baker was non-committal and Cueto said through an interpreter, “I would say yes, I really feel better right now, but I will have to wait till tomorrow and see how I feel.”
— Special to the Post