Game 5: Lincecum vs. Bedard.  Oh man, do I really have to write about The Abomination?  <shudder> Im not sure I can handle this, but must carry on somehow.  It all started innocently enough, with SFE going back to their early scoring ways on an RBI DO by Big Papi.  That lead held up until the 3^rd when SHI rallied with 2 outs and scored on a Markakis DO, but the speedy Thome was thrown out at home.  The pitchers kept escaping jams and the 1-1 tie held until the 5^th, when SFE went back to their HR barrage, this time a solo shot by Soto.  It could have been worse, but Molina blocked the plate to save a run.  SFE still led 2-1 in the 8^th when they stole the SHI offensive strategy, taking advantage of a rare Ryan E to score on a Cabrera SI.  Would a 3-1 lead be enough?  Ha!  Molina led off with a single and SFE called on Rivera again.  He got a grounder from Pujols, but Wright butchered it into a SI and 2-base E.  A BB and SB put another runner in scoring position for PH Giambi.  He delivered a single to score 1 run, but Weeks was brutally gunned down at home to preserve the 3-3 tie and then Izturis struck out.  SFE ended their 9^th with a DP and with 2 outs for SHI, Schierholtz hit a deep fly ballthat went off the wall for a DO.  Molina failed to bring him home, so we went to extra innings again! 

Shiner had already burned through 6 pitchers in 9 innings, while SFE was only on their 3^rd, which just might matter at some point.  Both teams stranded baserunners and we headed into the 13^th still tied at 3.  Matt Downs led off against Axford and delivered yet another SFE home run!  Oh no!  Axford allowed another hit and walk to tire, but Ted Lilly of all people escaped the jam.  With Martinez finally tired, SFE sent in Oliver to finish off SHI.  However, Giambi led off with a DO and Izturis played the hero again with another DO that tied the score!  (Im guessing that the SFE OF should have caught at least one of those.)  Unfortunately, the next 3 batters went down in order and the game just wouldnt die

Lilly pitched a scoreless 14^th and SHI got 2 runners on with 1 out, then stranded them.  Not wanting to push their luck with Lilly, SHI sent in Casilla tired and he threw another scoreless inning.  Izturis continued his magical series with a leadoff DO, but the next 3 went down in order to strand him yet again!  So we moved into the 16^th, with SHI resorting to Bruce Chen as their 11^th pitcher of the game.  Hamels pinch ran in the 8^th, so only tired Ogando remained in the pen.  So of course he mowed down SFE easily and then SHI stranded another guy at 2^nd.  Chen did it again in the 17^th with help from a DP, but SHI just kept adding to their LOB total.  How about the 18^th?  Another 1-2-3 for Chen and then SHI killed their rally with a DP.  19^th?  SFE threatened Chen with a couple singles, but Bautista hit into a DP.  Guerrier (3.2 scoreless IP) finally tired and SFE had to throw Marmol in as their 7^th pitcher.  He allowed a leadoff walk and the runner moved to 2^nd on a sacrifice, but then 2 Ks sent us on to the 20^th freaking inning!!!  Why oh why?  I also feel compelled to mention that SFE even started making X-plays to keep the game going, at least 3 with runners on that might have ended it. 

Chen had somehow thrown 4 scoreless innings, but could he make it 5?  The red-hot Big Papi hit a leadoff DO and advanced on a sacrifice by Halladay.  Yes, thats Roy Halladay.  Then Freeman hit a slow grounder, that slipped through the drawn-in infield!  SFE now led 4-3 and had tired Chen.  With tired Ogando as their only alternative, SHI stuck with him and he served up a 2-run HR to Cabrera.  Could this game finally end?  Well, SFE just needs Marmol to protect a 7-4 lead in the 20^th inning with Halladay playing LF.  What could possibly go wrong?  Well the 1^st thing would be yet another E5, this time by Betemit.  He rallied with a K, but a Molina single put runners at the corners for Pujols, still looking for his 1^st HR of the series.  One here would tie the game yet again and he absolutely crushed a Marmol pitch out to leftwhere it died at the wall in the glove of Halladay, of course.  That scored 1 run, but was the 2^nd out.  Marmol drilled Weeks to bring up Markakis as the potential winning run.  SFE went to Gorzelanny and Markakis hit a fly ballthat was caught to finally end it!  SFE wins 7-5 in 20 innings in what will always be known as The Abomination.

Here are few stats from this one.  SFE had 22 hits, 7 walks, and hit 3 big HR, but killed many rallied with their 8 GIDP.  Meanwhile, SHI had 18 hits, 8 BB, 2 HBP, and only hit into one DP, but stranded a staggering 21 baserunners to 14 for SFE.  Their complete failure to hit HR in any of the 3 home games was certainly a factor.  Ortiz led SFE with 4 hits.  Downs and Cabrera each had 3 hits and a HR. 

Wow.  That was just so brutal.  Even on Netplay, it took eons and totally crushed my will to live. 

So the series headed back to SFE with SHI leading 3-2 and needing to somehow recover from this nightmare.  SFE was running out of PA for some of their key batters, but that would just make it even worse when SHI completed their epic collapse.  The crows were definitely circling