Giants win dramatic Game 3

Pictured: Freddy Sanchez shows his excitement after scoring what proved to be the winning run Sunday.

The San Francisco Giants were one strike away from losing Game 3 of the National League Division Series to the Atlanta Braves and Freddy Sanchez was up against it with an 0-2 count. However, Sanchez battled and got a single (Travis Ishikawa had walked and moved to 2nd base on the play). Aubrey Huff then followed with an RBI single to make it 2-2 in the 9th. Talk about a clutch hit. Buster Posey then hit a ground ball that got through 2nd baseman Brooks Conrad, who made his 3rd error of the game, and allowed Sanchez to score the go-ahead run. I feel for Conrad, that must be a horrible thing to go through, but I'm still really glad that the Giants won. This all came after Eric Hinske hit a pinch-hit, two run home run to give the Braves a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 8th.

Anytime a game is 1-0 into the 8th inning and that run was scored all the way back in the 2nd, it makes for a dramatic game. This game was even more dramatic than you would think -- especially considering it was a playoff game. When Hinske hit the home run, all my mojo and excitement were crushed. It looked like the Braves were in great position to win the game and they had over 50,000 euphoric fans behind them to help them. And then you get to two outs, a guy on first and an 0-2 count with the entire stadium rocking and on their feet it just doesn't look good. Sanchez looked bad swinging at the first two pitches to fall behind but he hung in there and got a clutch single. Huff's hit was the biggest of his career and could really be the turning point in the series. I couldn't be happier for Huff, who has toiled for almost a decade on some really bad teams, and was able to come up with a huge hit in his first trip to the playoffs. Fortunately, Brian Wilson was able to shut the door with a relatively quiet bottom of the 9th to earn his first career postseason save and preserve the 3-2 win. The Giants lead the series two games to one now. Game 4 is tomorrow night in Atlanta.

I can't say enough about how resilient the Giants have been. That's been the story all year and I know these guys don't have any quit in them. What an exciting game and it's even better because my team came away with the win.

In the other National League game tonight, the Phillies defeated the Reds 2-0 in Cincinnati behind a complete game shutout from Cole Hamels. This win meant a series sweep for the Phillies and a berth in the National League Championship Series. When you consider that Hamels is considered Philadelphia's number 3 starter and he just threw a shutout at one of the most hitter friendly ballparks in all of baseball against one of baseball's best offenses it really shows how deep the Phils rotation is. They are going to be a tough out for sure. I like the Phillies a lot but I do feel bad for the Reds who were in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years and didn't even get one win. They did have a pretty magical year, though, and managed to exceed just about everyone's (including mine) expectations. Hats off to the Reds.

In the American League, the Yankees wrapped up a 3 game sweep of the Twins with a 5-1 win in New York last night. The Twins appeared overmatched in Game 3 and to be honest didn't really look the same after they coughed up the 3-0 lead they had in Game 1. The Yankees look like they are going to be tough, but hopefully somebody can beat them.

It's interesting how momentum can change quickly in the playoffs -- especially in a short series. As recently as the end of the 7th inning Saturday in Arlington, the Rangers had all the momentum. They were at home in front of a raucous crowd for Game 3 and had just taken a 2-1 lead in the game. They led the series 2-0 and were six outs away from a sweep and from winning their first ever playoff series. The Rays looked dead in the water and looked like they couldn't score. But then the Rays' bats came alive for 2 in the 8th and 3 in the 9th en route to a 6-3 victory. And then the Rays go back out and win today 5-2 to even the series at 2 and force a deciding Game 5 back in Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. Who knows what will happen, the road team has won every game in that series.

Here's the schedule for the lone game tomorrow:

Game 4 -- San Francisco Giants (Bumgarner) at Atlanta Braves (Lowe), 5:30 p.m. MT (TBS, Giants lead series 2-1)