Freddy Sanchez is the Giants' regular at second base, but he was held out to rest a surgically repaired shoulder. Written into the lineup in his place was Mark DeRosa, but just before first pitch, he was scratched as well due to soreness in his surgically repaired wrist. In stepped infield reserve Mike Fontenot, and as luck would have it, it was Fontenot who wound up playing a pivotal role.
Fontenot hit an RBI double and later slugged the winning home run as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3, taking the rubber game of the series.
The Giants got on the board early against Ted Lilly, and took a 2-0 lead into the fourth inning, when Rod Barajas knotted things up with a two-run homer off Jonathan Sanchez. The Dodgers later pulled ahead in the sixth on an RBI double by Aaron Miles.
But their lead wouldn't last long. In the bottom half, Pablo Sandoval took Lilly deep for a one-out solo home run. And two batters later, Fontenot came up and mashed his first home run since May 7, 2010, putting the Giants out in front 4-3.
That lead would stand up, as five Giants relievers combined to keep the Dodgers off the board over the final three innings. Brian Wilson closed things out with a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save.
The Dodgers now return home to entertain the Cardinals, while the Giants fly out to begin a road swing against the Diamondbacks.
For more on the Dodgers and Giants, please visit team blogs True Blue LA and McCovey Chronicles.