Morse melts Mets’ hopes with walk-off

AT&T PARK — Michael Morse gave Giants fans something they seldom had all game: A reason to cheer.

Morse ripped an opposite field double to right-center in a delirious ninth inning to walk it off for the Giants in a 5-4 win in Game 2 of the series.

Morse relived the the ninth inning after the game:

“Somebody ripped my jersey. I’ll just have to rip the rest of it. … It doesn’t matter who’s at the plate, we believe in that person.”

The wild inning began with a 4-3 Giants deficit and textbook fundamentals.

Angel Pagan had the presence of mind to sprint into first base and beat out a wild pitch strike out. The play was reviewed by the Mets, but the call was upheld. Morse said he was surprised at how it all began:

“Pagan came right out of the box hustling. That’s something a lot of guys, I’m one of those guys, I strike out like that and I get upset with myself.”

Hunter Pence came up after and laced a double down the left-field line to score Pagan on a close play at the plate and tie the game at 4-4.

Buster Posey moved Pence to third on a sacrifice fly and Pablo Sandoval was intentionally walked before Morse cracked a single into the gap that the Mets’ outfielders could only stare at in disbelief as they trudged off the field.

Saturday night featured an uncharacteristically long night at the office for Tim Hudson.

MLB’s ERA leader entering the game struggled as the New York Mets tagged him for nine hits and three earned runs in Game 2 of the three-game series. Hudson admitted he struggled in Saturday night’s affair:

“It was a battle. Obviously I think the line pretty much says it all. It wasn’t easy.”

Until the ninth, the Giants’ best opportunity came in the fifth inning when Posey was at the dish with the bases loaded and no outs.

All Posey could muster was an RBI double play to give San Francisco its first run of the game. Sandoval then flied out to left to squash the potential rally and leave the score 3-1.

Posey had another opportunity in the bottom of the sixth when the Giants scored two runs and knocked Mets starter Bartolo Colon out of the game, but Posey whiffed on Jeurys Familia’s low 3-2 pitch to end another Giants threat with the bases loaded.

Colon finished the game after 5-2/3 innings allowing eight hits, three runs, one earned, two walks while striking out four.

Angel Pagan had a big night at the plate, going 3-for-5, driving in two of the Giants five runs and reaching base all five times. His average is now .323. Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said:

“Pagan had a heck of a game. He got the big hit to get us within one. That last inning, you strike out, sometimes you have the tendency to get frustrated and not get down the line, but he busted his tail to beat that throw. That’s where it all started.”

Jenrry Mejia (L, 4-3, 4.68 ERA) came in to save it for the Mets in the ninth inning — or so he thought. Instead, he blew his first save of the season as the Giants mobbed Morse rounding first base for his first walk-off hit as a Giant.

Jeremy Affeldt (W, 2-1, 1.33 ERA) threw a perfect ninth inning to earn his second win of the season.

Anthony Recker scored the game’s first run with a single to third in the second inning and the Mets didn’t cede the lead until the fateful ninth inning. Recker reached base three times and went 2-for-3 overall with half the Mets RBIs.

The Giants look to sweep the series Sunday afternoon when Tim Lincecum (4-4, 5.01) takes on former Giants prospect Zack Wheeler (2-5, 3.89 ERA). The game begins at 1:05 p.m.

Notes

Tim Hudson’s ERA went from 1.75 to 1.97 to knock him down to second in the ERA race behind Julio Teheran (1.89)… The Brandons have gone 5-for-13 (.385) with four runs and two RBIs together in Games 1 and 2 of the series… If you were wondering what that enormous blue blob in section 307 of AT&T Park was it was the Mets’ traveling fan base: The 7 Line Army.

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