Sanchez shuts out Giants, Marlins sweep

May 26, 2011BOX SCOREGIANTS POSTGAME VIDEOMLB PAGEMLB SCOREBOARD

SAN FRANCISCO(AP)Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria stood at the center of the visiting clubhouse, holding a Marlins cap in his hand and flashing a smile behind his sunglasses.He was clearly the happiest person at AT&T Park.With the home fans still stunned and grieving over the injury to star catcher Buster Posey, Anibal Sanchez threw a five-hitter for another complete game in San Francisco to lead the Marlins to a 1-0 win Thursday and cap a three-game sweep."The sweep here against a good team is great," Florida manager Edwin Rodriguez said. "The down side is what happened the other night. Other than that, a good three wins."The injury to Posey hovered over the game well before the start.
NEWS: Posey fractures fibula, surgery likely for ankle
An MRI exam on Posey showed he fractured a bone his lower left leg and had three torn ligaments on both sides of his left ankle, Giants trainer Dave Groeschner said. That all came from when Scott Cousins crashed into him at the plate, likely ending the catcher's season. Groeschner said Posey will seek a specialist to perform the surgery.
URBAN: Frame-by-frame breakdown of the collision
The Marlins brushed the news aside to finish off the defending World Series champions in style.Sanchez (4-1) struck out eight and walked two for his fifth career complete game and second this season. He pitched a one-hitter against the Giants last July 29 in his previous appearance in San Francisco."I like the city. We come just once a year. I try to enjoy it," Sanchez said.Logan Morrison's RBI single in the sixth inning off Ryan Vogelsong scored Chris Coghlan for the only run. Vogelsong (3-1) struck out three and scattered eight hits in eight innings for his first loss in six starts on a difficult day to take the mound."I think it was tough. I knew it was tough for me," Vogelsong said. "I was just trying to get us going early."Freddy Sanchez doubled with one out in the Giants ninth before Aubrey Huff and Cody Ross grounded out.Cousins, who went to college at the University of San Francisco and lives in the Bay Area, did not play. Tears welled up in his eyes when he talked before the game about the severity of Posey's injury.Posey was put on the 15-day disabled list. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year who helped the Giants win the World Series last year was hurt when Cousins plowed him over scoring the winning run in the 12th inning Wednesday night.The Giants had runners on first and second in the finale with one out in the first, setting the stage for Huff to do some damage. But he grounded into a double play to end the inning, a familiar theme throughout the day.Aaron Rowand doubled with one out in the second but was stranded when Miguel Tejada struck out swinging and Eli Whiteside - filling in for Posey at catcher - grounded out. Huff, who replaced Posey in the cleanup spot, went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts, a double play and a groundout with the tying run at second in the ninth.Chris Coghlan led off the sixth with a double and Emilio Bonifacio's sacrifice bunt moved him to third. Morrison followed with a bloop single to center field to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead."We knew it was going to be a challenge to get some runs," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Our guy did what we were hoping. We're going to have to start coming through. We can't live on the edge here every night."Emmanuel Burriss singled and stole second with two outs in the Giants third, then Sanchez settled into a groove. He retired 14 of the next 15 batters until pinch-hitter Pat Burrell walked with one out in the eighth.The Marlins blew plenty of chances, too.The biggest came in the seventh when they loaded the bases with two outs against Vogelsong before Coghlan flied out to left field. This was the fourth time the Giants were shut out this season, and the fifth time the Marlins have held an opponent scoreless.NOTES: Marlins SS Hanley Ramirez sat out with a right foot contusion he sustained a night earlier. Rodriguez said he doesn't expected Ramirez to miss any more time. ... Promising prospect Brandon Belt was recalled from Triple-A Fresno, one of a series of moves the Giants made before the game. Giants manager Bruce Bochy said he expected Belt to play primarily in the outfield. Belt was San Francisco's opening day first baseman before he struggled and was sent back down to the minors. ... The announced attendance was 41,472, the 21st straight sellout to start the season for San Francisco.