By: Malaika Bobino

San Francisco, CA – It was a rocky start but the offense found a way to fight through the bloops early.  Ace Ryan Vogelsong continued to struggle but recovered in time for the offense to back him for the win.

The Giants took game two of the series with a 5-3 victory over the Braves.  With tonight’s victory San Francisco matched their season-high five-game winning streak.  The team has won 7 of their last 8 games.  And Angel Pagan has been a huge part in leading this offense.

“Right now, we’re playing, to me, the best we’ve played all season,” said Pagan.  “Our offense is pretty good.  It’s fun going out there everyday.”

A home run shy of hitting the cycle, Angel has enjoyed the responsibility as the leadoff hitter.  Since his recent promotion the outfielder has dedicated his time to becoming better than average.  He’s extended his hitting streak to eight games.

Pagan went 4-of-5 with a double, triple, RBI and scored two runs.  Matching his career-high with four hits, he wasn’t too concerned about not hitting a home run.  With the help of his teammates, Angel knows he doesn’t have to do it all to get the win.

“I’m not a selfish person,” he explained.  “I want to get on base.  I wanted to get there with the 5-3 game.  Why would I try to homer, if I can just get on base.  I can try and make something happen and keep scoring.”

Vogelsong lost his command early when he gave up two home runs.  The first was to Jason Heyward in the first frame and the second was to Freddie Freeman on the first pitch in the second inning.  But that quick 2-0 lead for Atlanta didn’t last long.

“The first home run, I thought, was right in the middle of the plate,” said Ryan.  “The second one was a first pitch, a two-seamer away, and it was running away.  He just got a good swing on it.  They’re both pretty big, strong guys and if they get the barrel on it, it’s going to go a long way.  I’m just glad we were able to come back and score some runs and get the win.”

By the bottom of the second, the Giants loaded the bases on two back-to-back errors at short stop and second base.  Hunter Pence got a base hit after Chipper Jones mishandled the ball.  Then Brandon Belt got a base hit when Dan Uggla fumbled the ball after catching it with his glove.  Gregor Blanco’s bunt allowed him to first safely.

But Vogelsong grounded into a double play to end the inning and left all three runners stranded.  With three infields hits, it’s a rare to not score in at least one run.  By the third, it was Angel who sparked the offense in scoring their first two runs.

“They’re playing great,” said Freeman.  “They are not making mistakes defensively or offensively.”

Pagan tripled in the fourth, Marc Scutaro drove him in with a single to right field.  Pablo Sandoval’s RBI double cut the lead in half and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 2-2.  Two more runs in the fourth and Buster Posey’s RBI double in the sixth extended the lead to 5-2.

The Braves final attempt to wake up the bats was Freddie’s second home run of the night.  This marked the third time in his career he has hit two homers in a game and the second time this season.  Unfortunately, for Atlanta they continue to collapse almost resembling last years struggles.

“It’s getting frustrating,” Freeman explained.  “We’re a winning team and we’re not winning right now.  That was last year and this is this year.  It’s a whole different season, we’re still in first place for the Wild Card.”