The San Francisco Giants edged the Washington Nationals 3-2 in the opening game of their Major League Baseball playoff series.
Buster Posey, Brandon Belt and Joe Panik each drove in a run for the Giants, who took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five game National League Division Series on Friday.
San Francisco starter Jake Peavy picked up his first career post-season victory, scattering two hits in five and two-thirds scoreless innings.
Nationals ace hurler Stephen Strasburg gave up two runs in his post-season debut -- one earned -- on eight singles in five-plus innings for NL East division champions Washington.
The Giants opened the scoring in the third inning when Travis Ishikawa singled, advanced to second on Peavy's bunt, took third on a passed ball by Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos and scored on Panik's single up the middle.
It was the first run allowed by Strasburg since September 10, a run of 22 scoreless innings in a row that extended into his first playoff start.
San Francisco made it 2-0 in the fourth when Hunter Pearce beat out a double play attempt to reach first base, stole second and scored on Belt's single to right field.
Panik tripled to left field, the ball hitting the heel of the glove of Washington's Denard Span and dropping to the ground, and scored when Posey tapped a single that deflected off pitcher Craig Stammen and rolled past second base, allowing Panik to score for a 3-0 San Francisco lead.
Panik has five hits in his first two playoff games, a Giants record.
Bryce Harper and Asdrubal Cabrera answered for the Nationals with solo home runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut the deficit to 3-2, but they could make no further inroads.
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