Crawford bungle seals 16 innings of torture

AT&T PARK — Playing a game that extended well into the night, a fielding error by Brandon Crawford added injury to insult.

For those that remained, not including the seagulls, the Mets needed 16 innings to beat the Giants 4-3 Tuesday morning in a 5 hour 26 minute game that began Monday night.

Manager Bruce Bochy says they had numerous opportunities to win it:

Giants Manager Bruce Bochy

Video: CSN Bay Area

“We created those chances out there we just couldn’t get a hit. It’s a hard-fought game, the bullpen did a great job. The way they ended up scoring that’s a tough way to lose it. Then of course we had a couple of guys on base but we couldn’t get a hit there at the end.”

In the top of the 16th, Eric Young Jr. singled to left and stole second. Young advanced to third on a ground out by Daniel Murphy.

After a pitching change for Javier Lopez, he intentionally walked David Wright. Lopez faced pinch-hitter Anthony Recker and induced him to ground to short but Crawford could not field the ball cleanly allowing Young to score the go-ahead run.

As Bochy mentioned, the Giants did have two runners on in the bottom of the 16th. Marco Scutaro walked, but Brandon Belt struck out for the fifth time ending his night at the plate 0-for-8.

Buster Posey, just the opposite, singled to center for his fifth hit of the game.

But Pablo Sandoval struck out before pinch-hitter Guillermo Quiroz grounded into a force out at second to end a woeful night for the Giants, who left 18 men on base.

Hunter Pence, who ended an 0-for-22 slump, says despite losing six of their last seven games and 12 of 14, the team has to remain upbeat:

Giants right fielder Hunter Pence

Video: CSN Bay Area

“There’s just frustration.  We want to stay as positive as we can but we’ve got to get it done. We’ve got to keep pushing to find a way to turn it around.”

Posey continues to be a bright spot for the Giants in an otherwise disappointing season. San Francisco had 14 hits yet were 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

Two Giants in major slumps got some big hits. Pence, hit a booming triple and missed a home run by inches as he blasted a ball to right-center off the concrete facade in the arcade leading off the bottom of the seventh.

Bochy convinced the umpires to get together and the crew reviewed the play and determined it was a triple. Crawford, 1-for-32 with runners in scoring position, singled up the middle bringing in Pence to tie the game.

Posey, the reigning NL MVP hit a two-run homer to left off Mets phenom Matt Harvey in the bottom of the first inning to give the Giants the lead.

Tim Lincecum has been hit or miss in his outings but better at home than on the road where he is 1-6 with a 5.21 ERA.

It was Timmy time for the first four innings as Lincecum set down 12 of the first 13 batters faced giving up only a walk to Omar Quintanilla.

In the top of the fifth, Marlon Byrd broke up the no-hit bid with a single to left. With one out, John Buck doubled to deep right center scoring Byrd.

The Mets took the lead in the sixth.

Eric Young Jr. hit a ball to left which got by Andres Torres and Young hustled for a triple. Daniel Murphy singled to left plating Young.

David Wright hit a hard ground ball to third. Pablo Sandoval fielded it and tried to get Murphy at second. Murphy was safe and Marco Scutaro threw the relay towards the Mets dugout allowing Murphy to advance to third on the errant throw.

With runners at the corners and nobody out, Ike Davis grounded into a 4-6-3 double play but that allowed Murphy to score from third giving the Mets the lead.

Notes

The Giants have lost their seventh consecutive series opener. … Courtesy of ESPN, this was the fifth time the Mets and Giants have played a 15+inning game.  The Giants had won the previous four with the last one prior to this game in 1968. … This was the longest game of the season for San Francisco. … The last Giant to have a five-hit game was Nate Schierholtz on April 28, 2010 vs. Philadelphia. … Lincecum notched 11 strikeouts, it’s the 33rd double-digit strikeout game of his career.