http://0rz.tw/hO1eK Giants keep hope alive with big win By Chris Haft / MLB.com | 9/22/2011 3:33 AM ET LOS ANGELES -- Various Giants continued auditioning for 2012 while prolonging the business of 2011. Justin Christian and Brett Pill, seeking bit parts or more for next season, contributed heavily to Wednesday night's robust offensive effort that lifted the Giants to an 8-5 decision over the Los Angeles Dodgers and sustained their faint postseason hopes. San Francisco is all but through in the National League West race. Arizona's victory over Pittsburgh trimmed the D-backs' magic number for clinching the division title to two. The D-backs are idle Thursday but can seal a tie for the West crown if the Giants lose the series finale to the Dodgers. Even if the Giants win, all Arizona needs is one victory during its three-game weekend series against San Francisco at Chase Field to capture the West. The Giants did trim their deficit in the Wild Card chase to 3 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta, which lost at Florida. "That makes it an even bigger win," said right-hander Ryan Vogelsong (12-7), the beneficiary of the Giants' sixth outburst of eight runs or more in 10 games. "We're in the mode where we have to win every game." With only a week left in the regular season and St. Louis trailing Atlanta by 1 1/2 games, the Giants remain the longest of long shots. But they're still playing for more than pride. And Christian and Pill strengthened their chances of being around when the Giants renew their postseason push next year. Christian, the 31-year-old vagabond outfielder who has spent most of nine professional seasons in the Minor Leagues, amassed a career-high three hits and drove in three runs. He delivered a two-run, fourth-inning double off Dodgers starter Dana Eveland to give San Francisco a 5-0 edge, then added a run-scoring bloop single in the sixth after Los Angeles narrowed the difference to 5-4. Pill, the rookie first baseman, also stroked three hits, including a first-inning single that drove in the Giants' first run and an RBI double in a two-run seventh. That helped complete a special night for the 27-year-old, a Southern Californian who lives in nearby Covina. "It's awesome," Pill said. "I remember sitting up in the stands watching these games as a kid." Since player evaluation is a constant process, it was significant that Giants manager Bruce Bochy liked what he saw from Christian and Pill. "They're doing what you hope to see -- showing they can play in the Major Leagues," Bochy said. Mike Fontenot and Mark DeRosa, who already have accomplished that goal but lack the luxury of assuming anything, also proved influential for the Giants. Fontenot, who has to compete for a job every year in his role as a utility infielder, lashed a two-run single to highlight San Francisco's three-run, first-inning outburst off Eveland (2-2), who threw seven shutout innings at AT&T Park on Sept. 10. "Sometimes it's tougher," Eveland said of facing the Giants again in an 11-day span. "But it didn't matter who I faced today. I threw a lot of non-competitive pitches in big situations." DeRosa, who's unlikely to return to San Francisco but hasn't ruled out signing elsewhere as a free agent, went 2-for-3, drove in a run and scored another. He's batting .350 (14-for-40) in 23 games since being activated from the disabled list on Aug. 4. Vogelsong blanked the Dodgers until they rallied for four runs in the fifth, three coming on Matt Kemp's 35th home run. That tied Kemp with Atlanta's Dan Uggla for second in the NL. Kemp also recorded his fifth consecutive multihit game and moved into the league lead in RBIs with 116. "He's had an awesome year," Vogelsong said. "There are a lot of guys out there who are dangerous and he's in that category or very close to the top of that category. The numbers speak for themselves." Trying to squeeze every last drop from this season, the Giants took that approach in the ninth inning as Bochy needed to summon Brian Wilson to seal San Francisco's ninth win in 10 games. Wilson relieved Santiago Casilla with two on and two outs and surrendered James Loney's RBI single but retired Aaron Miles on a fly to center field. It was Wilson's 36th save overall and his first since Aug. 13. Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. --

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