San Francisco, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Michael Morse stroked a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the San Francisco Giants to a 5-4 victory over the New York Mets in the middle contest of a three-game set Saturday at AT&T Park.
New York closer Jenrry Mejia took the mound in the ninth with his team leading 4-3 and got Angel Pagan to swing at strike three in the dirt. However, the ball skipped away from catcher Anthony Recker, who's throw to first pulled Lucas Duda off the bag just enough to allow Pagan to reach safely.
"I just tried to rush it and didn't have to," Recker said of his throw. "I could have definitely taken my time a little more."
Hunter Pence followed with a double into the left-field corner to score Pagan from first before moving to third on Buster Posey's fly out to left.
Mejia (4-3) then intentionally walked Pablo Sandoval to get to Morse, who scorched the first pitch he saw into right-center field to send San Francisco to its fourth straight victory.
"This is a group of guys that never give up on each other," Pagan said. "We'll pick each other up whenever we're struggling and I think that's the best chemistry you can bring for a good team, a winning team."
Pagan and Pence each had three hits, while Jeremy Affeldt (2-1) picked up the victory after spinning a hitless top of the ninth.
Recker finished with two hits and drove in two runs for the Mets, who have dropped five straight games.
Recker ripped an RBI single in the second to open the scoring before the Mets tacked on two more runs in the third.
David Wright and Chris Young started the inning with singles around a Curtis Granderson flyout before Duda laced a single to right to score Wright.
After Ruben Tejada walked to load the bases, Recker clubbed a base hit off the wall in right. Young scored on the play, but a base-running mistake found Tejada caught between second and third, where he was retired.
Posey plated San Francisco's first run with a double-play groundout in the fifth, but Matt den Dekker opened the sixth with a walk, moved to third on Daniel Murphy's single, and scored on George Kontos' wild pitch to make it a 4-1 game.
San Francisco sliced the margin to one in the home half after Brandon Crawford smacked a two-out single, Brandon Hicks reached on Wright's throwing error and pinch-hitter Hector Sanchez worked a walk.
Pagan then laced a single to left to score Crawford and Hicks, bringing the Giants within 4-3.
Game Notes
San Francisco starter Tim Hudson allowed three runs on nine hits over five frames, while Bartolo Colon surrendered three runs -- one earned -- on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings in the start for New York ... The Mets went 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base ... The Giants finished 3-for-12 with RISP and stranded 11 baserunners ... The Giants are 6-0 this season when Hudson starts at home ... Following the game, the Mets optioned Travis d'Arnaud to Triple-A Las Vegas and selected the contract of catcher Taylor Teagarden from Las Vegas.
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