SAN FRANCISCO (AP) â€" Pinch-hitter Hector Sanchez singled over a five-man infield with the bases loaded in the 11th inning, lifting the San Francisco Giants to a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday to take the three-game series.
Buster Poster singled off sidearm submariner Tim Dillard (0-1) leading off the inning and pinch-runner Emmanuel Burriss moved to second on Angel Pagan's sacrifice bunt.
Dillard walked Brandon Belt intentionally then Ryan Theriot to load the bases. Left fielder Ryan Braun moved into the infield before Sanchez sent a full-count pitch off Dillard down the left-field line where nobody could reach.
Travis Ishikawa's run-scoring double handed San Francisco's Santiago Casilla his first blown save in the ninth.
Lefty specialist Javier Lopez (3-0) recorded one out for the win.
San Francisco's banged-up bullpen finally caved before the Giants' bats â€" for a change â€" brought them back.
Corey Hart reached on a fielding error by third baseman Ryan Theriot to lead off the ninth. Santiago Casilla rallied to strike out Jonathan Lucroy and popped up Taylor Green.
With Milwaukee down to its last strike, former Giants pinch-hit specialist Ishikawa doubled on the ninth pitch against Casilla to score Hart and force extra innings. The comeback handed Casilla his first blown save in six chances this season in place of injured closer Brian Wilson.
Defense extended the game even further.
Nyjer Morgan made a leaping grab on the warning track to rob Melky Cabrera of extra bases to end the 10th inning. Morgan, born in San Francisco, pointed back at fans in the bleachers and taunted the crowd running back to the dugout.
Cabrera caught Lucroy's liner in the web of his glove in left and easily doubled up Hart at first base in the 11th inning, setting the stage for a Giants walkoff.
The earlier rally by Milwaukee still ruined another gem for Matt Cain.
Cain walked Morgan on four pitches to open the game but never looked out of rhythm the rest of the way on a sun-soaked afternoon in San Francisco's waterfront ballpark.
Cain struck out 10 and scattered six hits in seven innings. He allowed only the one walk and also singled in another sharp start that ended without earning a victory.
While Morgan stole second base, Cain struck out Rickie Weeks and Braun swinging and almost escaped the inning unscathed. Instead, Aramis Ramirez blooped a single to right to give Milwaukee a 1-0 lead.
Conor Gillaspie lined an RBI double and Angel Pagan beat out a double play at first to drive in another run for the Giants in the first inning off Shaun Marcum. Pagan also doubled leading off the fourth to roll his hitting streak to 20 â€" the longest active in the majors â€" and scored on Theriot's one-out single that put San Francisco ahead 3-1.
Marcum allowed three runs on five hits in six innings for a no decision. He hasn't won since his first start April 9 at the Chicago Cubs.
Cain controlled his pitches with ease and his few lapses never lasted long.
Weeks whacked one mistake Cain left over the middle for a double in the sixth. He scored on Ramirez's fly out to right before Cain struck out Hart to end the threat.
Cain, long San Francisco's hard-luck loser because of a lack of run support, again protected the cushion â€" large by his usual standards â€" after getting into a jam in the seventh. With runners on first and second and one out, Cain struck out George Kottaras swinging and fooled Morgan with a curveball that frustrated the eccentric center fielder so much he immediately flipped his bat.
So far Cain has lived up to the hype surrounding that new $127.5 million, six-year contract â€" a record for a right-hander â€" he signed just before the regular season. He has lasted at least six innings in all six starts, including a one-hitter against Pittsburgh on April 13, and has a 2.38 ERA.
Even that's not always enough to earn a win.
NOTES: The Brewers officially placed OF Carlos Gomez (strained left hamstring) and SS Alex Gonzalez (right knee) on the 15-day disabled list, calling up INFs Taylor Green and Edwin Maysonet from Triple-A Nashville. Gonzalez is scheduled to have an MRI on Monday in Milwaukee. ... Fans serenaded Hall of Famer Willie Mays with "Happy Birthday" in the middle of the second inning. Mays, who turned 81 years old, blew out numbered candles on a cake and waved his cap to the crowd from a stadium suite.
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