Giants defeat the Nationals in EIGHTEEN innings. The VAVEL USA Player of the Game is Brandon Belt, who hit the game-winning home run. Time of Game: SIX HOURS and TWENTY-THREE HOURS. Thanks for joining me for tonight's LONG LIVE. This is Max Wildstein, signing off.
BALLGAME!
Bottom of 18th, 2 out: Anthony Rendon walks.
Bottom of 18th, 2 out: Denard Span grounds out to first. Two down.
Bottom of 18th, 1 out: Hunter Strickland strikes out Danny Espinosa. One down.
On to the bottom of the 18th inning. Hunter Strickland is on to pitch and nail down the save for the Giants.
Top of 18th: BRANDON BELT HOME RUN. 2-1 GIANTS
Bottom of 17th: Bryce Harper flies out. Wilson Ramos flies out. Tanner Roark grounds out.
Top of 17th: No updates, well you didn't miss anything, as NO RUNS OR HITS were allowed. On to the bottom of the 17th. Someone just win it already.
Bottom of 16th, 3 out: Jayson Werth strikes out, Adam LaRoche flies out and Ian Desmond strikes out, and we head to the 17th inning and Tanner Roark will come in to pitch.
Tanner Roark is warming up in the bullpen for the Nationals.
Top of 16th, 3 out: Rafael Soriano comes in to pitch for the Nationals, striking out Juan Perez and getting Gregor Blanco and Joe Panik to pop up in the 16th inning.
Bottom of 15th, 3 out: Denard Span walks, but Anthony Rendon flies out to end the inning.
Bottom of 15th, 2 out: Kevin Frandsen pops up to Joe Panik for the first out of the bottom of the 15th inning. Danny Espinosa grounds out.
Kevin Frandsen will pinch-hit for Craig Stammen.
Top of 15th, 3 out: Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford ground out to Danny Espinosa and Yusmeiro Petit grounds out to Ian Desmond.
Bottom of 14th, 3 out: Wilson Ramos strikes out swinging.
Bottom of 14th, 2 out: Bryce Harper strikes out swinging.
Bottom of 14th, 1 out: Ian Desmond strikes out swinging.
Top of 14th, 3 out: Buster Posey thrown out by Wilson Ramos, as he was trying to advance to second on a ball in the dirt.
Top of 14th, 2 out: Pablo Sandoval flies out to Bryce Harper in left field for the first out in the fourteenth inning. Hunter Pence strikes out.
Top of 14th: Buster Posey takes a 3-0 fastball down the left-field line for a leadoff single. The Giants are in business here in the 14th inning.
Bottom of 13th, 3 out: Adam LaRoche strikes out. On to the FOURTEENTH inning. This game is really carrying on. Almost at five hours.
Bottom of 13th, 2 out: 2-out single for Jayson Werth.
Bottom of 13th, 2 out: Anthony Rendon pops up to Joe Panik.
Bottom of 13th, 1 out: Denard Span grounds out to begin the bottom of the thirteenth inning.
Top of 13th, 3 out: Joe Panik grounds out to Ian Desmond for the final out of the top of the thirteenth inning.
Top of 13th, 2 out: Craig Stammen gets Juan Perez to ground out and Gregor Blanco to line out to center field for the first out of the thirteenth inning.
Craig Stammen in to pitch for the Nationals
Bottom of 12th, 3 out: Nate Schierholtz will pinch-hit for Jerry Blevins, who promptly gets intentionally walked. Danny Espinosa lines out to short to end the inning. On to the 13th innng.
Bottom of 12th, 2 out: Bryce Harper hits one DEEEEEEP, but it's caught. Ian Desmond tags up and makes it to second base. Next batter, Wilson Ramos, strikes out swinging.
Bottom of 12th: Ian Desmond leads off the inning with a walk.
Yusmeiro Petit is on to pitch for the Giants.
Top of 12th, 3 out: Jerry Blevins gets the Nationals out of trouble, as he gets Andrew Susac to ground out to first for the final out of the top of the 12th inning.
Andrew Susac will pinch-hit for Santiago Casilla.
Top of 12th, 2 out: Brandon Belt grounds out, as Hunter Pence moves to third with one out. Postseason hero Brandon Crawford up to bat for the Giants, but he pops up to short for the second out of the inning.
Top of 12th: Hunter Pence leads off the twelvth inning with a lead-off double. Jerry Blevins is coming in to pitch to Brandon Belt.
Aaron Barrett on for the Nationals.
Bottom of 11th, 3 out: Adam LaRoche grounds out to Brandon Crawford, who was lined up on the second base side of second base (because of the shift) for the final out of the twelfth inning. On to the 12th inning.
Bottom of 11th, 2 out: Got 'em on the corner for strike three, as Santiago Casilla strikes out Anthony Rendon looking, who now is "only" 4-for-5 tonight. Quickly after, Jayson Werth flies out to center field for the second out of the inning.
Keep in mind, Anthony Rendon is 4-for-4 with four singles tonight. The last five-hit game in the postseason was in the 2011 World Series, when Albert Pujols had five hits, three home runs, against the Texas Rangers.
Santiago Casilla is in to pitch for the Giants.
Top of 12th, 3 out: Matt Thornton strikes out Pablo Sandoval swinging to go to the bottom of the eleventh inning, still tied at 1.
Top of 11th, 2 out: 4 pitch walk for Juan Perez, then a sacrafice bunt by Gregor Blanco, a pop-up from Joe Panik and an intentional walk to Buster Posey. Comes down to Pablo Sandoval with two on and two outs, who has not been the best right-handed hitter this season, as he has only hit .199 (compared to .317 batting left-handed).
Matt Thornton will be the next pitcher for the Nationals.
Bottom of 10th, 3 out: Denard Span grounds into a 4-6-3 double play to send the game into the eleventh inning.
Homeplate umpire Vic Carapazza, tonight's plate umpire, is the son-in-law of former umpire Rich Garcia, he of the Jeffrey Maier call.
Bottom of 10th, 1 out: Ryan Zimmerman singles and will be pinch-run for by Danny Espinosa, who will stay in the game, if needed, to play second base for the Nationals.
Homeplate umpire Vic Carapazza is definitely not a fan-favorite in Washington.
Bruce Bochy, the Giants' manager, is now asking the umpires if Kevin Frandsen was officially announced as the pinch-hitter. Ryan Zimmerman is on deck for the Nationals. Kevin Frandsen's name was never called, to everyone's knowledge.
Bottom of 10th, 1 out: Asdrubal Cabrera gets called out on strikes and throws his helmet on the ground, resulting in an ejection. Matt Williams, the Nationals' manager, was also ejected.
Juan Perez takes over for Travis Ishikawa over in left field, as Jeremy Affeldt has come in to pitch for the Giants. Kevin Frandsen will replace Tyler Clippard at bat second this inning.
Top of 10th, 3 out: Brandon Crawford produces a two-out walk to keep the inning alive, but Travis Ishikawa grounds out right back to Tyler Clippard for the final out of the top of the tenth inning.
Top of 10th, 2 out: Tyler Clippard strikes out Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt to start the tenth inning.
Bottom of 9th, 3 out: Bryce Harper grounds out to first. Wilson Ramos strikes out to end the ninth inning. EXTRA INNINGS HERE IN WASHINGTON. Tyler Clippard will pitch to Hunter Pence, who leads off the tenth inning.
Pablo Sandoval's base-hit in the top of the ninth extends his postseason hitting streak to THIRTEEN games, only TWO shy of the National League postseason record of FIFTEEN games.
Bottom of 9th, 1 out: Sergio Romo is on to pitch for the Giants, who promptly gets Ian Desmond to fly out to Hunter Pence in right field.
BUSTER POSEY HAS BEEN RULED "OUT!" On to the bottom of the ninth, as the Nationals will look to win this one in the bottom of the inning.
Top of 9th, 3 out: PABLO SANDOVAL DOUBLES IN JOE PANIK, AS BUSTER POSEY WAS CALLED OUT AT HOME. THIS WILL BE REVIEWED AND WILL LIKELY BE CALLED "SAFE."
Top of 9th, 2 out: On the first pitch he sees from Drew Storen, Buster Posey singles to center field to keep the inning going. Here comes Pablo Sandoval.
Before being knocked out of the game with that walk, Jordan Zimmermann had retired TWENTY straight batters.
Drew Storen will come in to pitch to Buster Posey with a runner on first and two outs.
Top of 9th, 2 out: Jordan Zimmermann gives up the first walk of the night for both teams, as Joe Panik's walk knocks him out of the game after 8 and 2/3 innings of shutout ball.
Top of 9th, 2 out: Jordan Zimmermann gets Gregor Polanco to fly out for the second out of the ninth. Only at 95 pitches.
Top of 9th, 1 out: Jordan Zimmermann strikes out pinch-hitter Matt Duffy to begin the ninth inning.
Bottom of 8th, 3 out: Anthony Rendon steals second base. Close throw. That's all for Jean Machi. Here comes Javier Lopez for the Giants, who promptly strikes out Adam LaRoche to end the eighth inning.
Bottom of 8th, 2 out: Jayson Werth flies out to right field.
Jean Machi is now pitching for the Giants.
Bottom of 8th, 1 out: Denard Span strikes out swinging. Anthony Rendon singles up the middle to make him 4-for-4 on the night, as Tim Hudson's night is done.
Top of 8th, 3 out: Travis Ishikawa hits a liner that is CAUGHT by Adam LaRoche for the final out of the top of the eighth inning. Jordan Zimmermann has been close to unhittable tonight.
Top of 8th, 2 out: Brandon Crawford strikes out swinging.
Top of 8th, 1 out: Ian Desmond makes an over-the-shoulder catch out in the outfield, as Jordan Zimmermann gets Brandon Belt to fly out to begin the inning.
Bottom of 7th, 3 out: Jordan Zimmermann grounds out to Pablo Sandoval to end the seventh inning.
Bottom of 7th, 2 out: Strikeout number seven for Tim Hudson tonight, as he gets Asdrubal Cabrera to strike out on a ball in the dirt.
Tyler Clippard is warming up for the Washington Nationals in the bullpen.
Bottom of 7th, 1 out: Bryce Harper grounds out to Joe Panik for the first out of the bottom of the seventh inning. Wilson Ramos follows him up with a one-out single up the middle, into center field.
Top of 7th, 3 out: Pablo Sandoval flies out to left and Hunter Pence grounds out to short for the final out of the inning. FIFTEEN straight set down by Jordan Zimmermann. He is just dealing out there.
Top of 7th, 1 out: Buster Posey lines one right at Anthony Rendon at third base for the first out of the seventh inning.
Bottom of 6th, 3 out: Six strikeouts tonight for Tim Hudson, as he gets Ian Desmond to strike out swinging to end the sixth inning.
Jean Machi and Javier Lopez are warming up in the Giants' bullpen.
Bottom of 6th, 2 out: Anthony Rendon moves over to second, then third, on back-to-back ground outs by Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche.
Bottom of 6th: Anthony Rendon is now 3-for-3, as he just picked up a leadoff single.
Top of 6th, 3 out: Twelve straight retired for Jordan Zimmermann, as he gets Gregor Blanco to line out to shortstop and Joe Panik to ground out to first base.
Top of 6th, 1 out: Tim Hudson strikes out to begin the sixth inning.
Bottom of 5th, 3 out: Denard Span lines one over to first, that is snagged by Brandon Belt to end the fifth inning.
Bottom of 5th, 2 out: Jordan Zimmermann strikes out swinging.
Bottom of 5th, 1 out: Asdrubal Cabrera grounds back up the middle, as Tim Hudson make a goalie save and picks up the ball, while throwing it to first for the out.
Top of 5th, 3 out: Back-to-back ground balls to Adam LaRoche at first base, as Brandon Crawford grounds out to first. Right after that, Travis Ishikawa grounds out to Anthony Rendon at third base for the final out of the top of the fifth inning.
Top of 5th, 1 out: Brandon Belt grounds out to first base.
Bottom of 4th, 3 out: Tim Hudson paints the corner to strike out Wilson Ramos to end the inning.
Bottom of 4th, 2 out: Bryce Harper strikes out swinging, as there are two gone.
Bottom of 4th, 1 out: Anthony Rendon singles then promptly steals second base uncontested.
Bottom of 4th, 1 out: Pablo Sandoval runs down a pop fly in the outfield from Adam LaRoche to begin the bottom of the fourth.
Top of 4th, 3 out: Hunter Pence grounds out to Jordan Zimmerman for the final out of the top of the fourth inning.
Top of 4th, 2 out: Buster Posey grounds out to shortstop and Pablo Sandoval strikes out swinging to begin the fourth inning with two quick outs.
Bottom of 3rd, 3 out: Jayson Werth gets a hold of one to deep center field, only to be caught by Gregor Blanco for the final out of the third inning. That's not before the Nationals score one, taking a 1-0 lead over the Giants.
Bottom of 3rd, 2 out: Anthony Rendon sends one into left field for a RBI single that scores Asdrubal Cabrera. 1-0 Nationals.
Bottom of 3rd, 2 out: Denard Span grounds out to first base for the second out of the inning. Asdrubal Cabrera moves up to third base.
Bottom of 3rd, 1 out: Jordan Zimmermann bunts a third strike foul, resulting in a strikeout.
Bottom of 3rd: Asdrubal Cabrera leads off the bottom of the third inning with a double. Jordan Zimmermann will try to bunt him over to third.
Top of 3rd, 3 out: Joe Panik grounds out to Adam LaRoche over at first for the final out of the top of the third inning.
Top of 3rd, 2 out: So much for those stats, as Jordan Zimmermann paints the inside corner for strike three and Gregor Blanco goes down looking.
In his career, Gregor Blanco has hit .289, with 29 runs batted in and five doubles with runners in scoring position, as Travis Ishikawa is on second base.
Top of 3rd, 1 out: Travis Ishikawa grounds one up the middle for a leadoff single. Tim Hudson bunts him over to second, as their's one out in the third inning.
Bottom of 2nd, 3 out: Ground balls have ruled the inning, as Tim Hudson gets Wilson Ramos to ground out to Brandon Crawford to end the second inning.
Bottom of 2nd, 2 out: Back-to-back ground outs to second base, as Bryce Harper grounds out to Joe Panik for the second out.
Bottom of 2nd, 1 out: Ian Desmond grounds out to second base for the first out. His wife has their third son due on October 11th, so hopefully it doesn't interfere with her husband's "work" schedule.
Top of 2nd, 3 out: Jayson Werth is already busy here today, as he record his third put out of the game with Brandon Crawford flying out to right field. On to the bottom half of the second inning.
Top of 2nd, 2 out: Strike 'em out, throw 'em out double play for the Cardinals, as Brandon Belt strikes out swinging and Hunter Pence gets thrown out at second base stealing.
Top of 2nd: Hunter Pence singles one through a hole into left field for a leadoff single.
Bottom of 1st, 3 out: Adam LaRoche puts some lift into one out to left, but right to Travis Ishikawa for the final out of the first inning.
Bottom of 1st, 2 out: Jayson Werth strikes out swinging.
Bottom of 1st, 1 out: Anthony Rendon gets the Nationals their first baserunner of the game with a single.
Bottom of 1st, 1 out: Denard Span grounds out to Brandon Belt over at first for the first out for Tim Hudson.
Top of 1st, 3 out: Pablo Sandoval flies out to Jayson Werth to end the top of the first inning.
Top of 1st, 2 out: Buster Posey singles one to left for the first basehit of the ballgame for the Giants.
Top of 1st, 2 out: Joe Panik flies out to right field.
Top of 1st, 1 out: Gregor Blanco pops up to Ian Desmond. One gone to start the game.
5:36 PM ET: Nationals, Giants are less than one minute from getting underway.
4:37 PM ET: ONE HOUR until game-time.
3:22 PM ET: Nationals Lineup: 1. Denard Span (CF), 2. Anthony Rendon (3B), 3. Jayson Werth (RF), 4. Adam LaRoche (1B), 5. Ian Desmond (SS), 6. Bryce Harper (LF), 7. Wilson Ramos (C), 8. Asdrubal Cabrera (2B), 9. Jordan Zimmermann (P)
3:20 PM ET: Giants Lineup: 1. Gregor Blanco (CF), 2. Joe Panik (2B), 3. Buster Posey (C), 4. Pablo Sandoval (3B), 5. Hunter Pence (RF), 6. Brandon Belt (1B), 7. Brandon Crawford (SS), 8. Travis Ishikwawa (LF), 9. Tim Hudson (P)
3:18 PM ET: Zimmermann will have to perform better than he did in his only career playoff start when he allowed five runs over three innings in a 12-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2012 NLDS. He's gone 5-1 with a 2.04 ERA in his last six starts against the Giants after giving up two runs with eight strikeouts over eight innings in a 6-2 home win August 23rd in his only meeting this season. Hunter Pence hit a two-run home run off him in that game and is 8-for-20 (.400) with two homers in his career against Zimmermann. Pablo Sandoval has gone 6-for-13 (.462) when facing Zimmermann, but Buster Posey is just 3-for-15 (.200).
3:17 PM ET: Bryce Harper, who hit a long solo shot Friday, is 4-for-9 (.444) with two homers in his last two home games versus San Francisco. "We can't go 0-2 into San Fran," Harper said. "That's tough, so we've got to get that 'W' tomorrow."
3:15 PM ET: Over nine career playoff starts, Hudson is 1-3 with a 3.40 ERA, but he's made only one postseason appearance since 2005, as that was back in 2010 with the Atlanta Braves. Hudson, however, is 17-5 with a 2.39 ERA in 30 career starts against the Nationals since the franchise moved from Montreal in 2005. He's also 4-0 with an 0.80 mark in five meetings over the past two seasons. Asdrubal Cabrera, Denard Span and Anthony Rendon are a combined 0-for-17 versus Hudson this season. However, Jayson Werth has gone 2-for-5 (.400) with a home run this season.
3:13 PM ET: Now, Tim Hudson (9-13, 3.57) will take a shot at extending that postseason streak, though the Giants have lost his previous five starts. The right-hander went 0-4 with an 8.72 ERA last month, with his last win coming at Washington on August 22nd.
3:12 PM ET: Brandon Crawford, who had three hits after belting a grand slam Wednesday in an 8-0 wild-card win against the Pittsburgh Pirates, is 11-for-26 (.423) in his last seven games against the Washington Nationals. Joe Panik and Brandon Belt each added two hits and an RBI as the Giants won their NL-record ninth postseason game in a row dating to their 2012 World Series title run.
3:11 PM ET: Following a 3-2 loss in Friday's NLDS opener, Washington could use a strong performance from Zimmermann (14-5, 2.66 ERA), who has been fantastic since the beginning of August. The right-handed pitcher has gone 8-0 with a 1.81 ERA over his last 11 starts, all of which have resulted in Washington wins. He's also 9-1 with a 2.27 mark in 15 starts on five or more days' rest this season.
3:09 PM ET: The last time that he took the mound for the Washington Nationals, Jordan Zimmermann threw the first no-hitter in Washington in 83 years, also the first in Nationals' history. A lot more will be at stake against San Francisco's NL-record postseason win streak. While Zimmermann looks to extend his dominance, Tim Hudson will try to overcome his recent struggles and help the Giants to a 2-0 lead in the NLDS Saturday night.
3:08 PM ET: Welcome to to VAVEL USA's coverage of Game 2 of the National League Division Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals. I am Max Wildstein, your host.