Steve Gardner

USA TODAY Sports

WASHINGTON - Breaking down the NL Division Series Game 2 from Nationals Park:

Box score: Giants 2, Nationals 1, 18 innings: Giants lead series, 2-0

***

In the longest playoff game in major league history - 6 hours, 23 minutes - the San Francisco Giants take a commanding lead in this National League Division Series.

Man of the moment: Brandon Belt broke a nine-inning stalemate with a crushing home run deep to right field off Tanner Roark. It had been nine innings and nearly three hours since the Giants tied the score 1-1 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

***

Man of the moment II: Yusmeiro Petit. He had one heck of a start in relief, striking out seven in six relief innings to keep the Giants in the fight.

***

Man of the moment, regulation version: Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann didn't throw another no-hitter as he did in his final regular-season start, but he was nearly unhittable as he shut out the Giants.

Zimmermann extended his streak of scoreless innings to 19, allowing only three hits and one walk. Following Travis Ishikawa's ground-ball single to lead off the third inning, Zimmermann retired the next 20 batters until a two-out walk to Joe Panik in the ninth prompted manager Matt Williams to remove him.

The 24-year-old right-hander neutralized the Giants hitters primarily by locating his mid-90s fastball. According to PitchFx data, Zimmermann threw 88 pitches in eight innings – 76 of them fastballs. He needed just 100 to complete 8 2/3 innings.

On a night in which runs were at a premium, Zimmermann made sure - until he was replaced - the Giants didn't get any.

***

State of the Series: With their National League record of consecutive postseason victories intact at 11, the Giants will look to close out the series Monday at AT&T Park, where they had a record of 45-36 during the regular season.

The Giants will have their ace, left-hander Madison Bumgarner on the mound. Bumgarner (18-10, 2.98 ERA during the regular season) threw a masterful four-hit shutout in the Giants' wild-card victory in Pittsburgh. He faced the Nationals once during the regular season, allowing two earned runs in seven innings on June 10 and taking the loss.

The Nationals will counter with veteran right-hander Doug Fister (16-6, 2.41), who allowed four earned runs in 13 innings over two starts against the Giants during the regular season.

The game is a matchup of Game 2 of the 2012 World Series, when Bumgarner bested Fister to key the Giants' sweep of the Detroit Tigers.

***

Game 2 pivot point: After Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann held the Giants scoreless for 8 2/3 innings, Pablo Sandoval's two-out double into the left-field corner scored Joe Panik to tie the game at 1. Zimmerman only allowed three hits, but his first walk of the evening to Panik was his 100th and final pitch of the night.

None of the heroics would have been possible without the 23-year-old rookie second baseman getting on base with the Giants down to their last out. With Buster Posey due up next, Zimmerman was removed despite dominating the Giants the entire game.

***

Manager's special: Zimmermann seemingly made things easy for Williams. His efficiency with his pitches didn't require any tough decisions on when to go to the bullpen … or whether or not lift his starter for a pinch-hitter.

But the walk to Panik prompted Williams to make the first huge decision of his postseason managerial career. It backfired.

Williams went to closer Drew Storen to get the final out. But a single by Posey and a double by Pablo Sandoval plated the tying run, and only a flawless relay - and a favorable video review - prevented Posey from scoring the go-ahead run on Sandoval's hit.

***

Needing a mulligan: After taking two close pitches for strikes in the bottom of the 10th inning, Nationals shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera slammed his bat, then his helmet to the ground in protest over home plate umpire Vic Carapazza's calls.

Cabrera's animated argument got him ejected from the game – forcing the Nationals to replace him in the field for the top of the 11th. Williams also came out to halt the argument, but his words with Carapazza earned him an early exit as well.

***

What you missed on TV: After Cabrera and Williams were tossed, the Nationals had the pitcher's spot up – which called for a pinch-hitter. Williams had Kevin Frandsen in the on-deck circle during Cabrera's at-bat, but with no one on base, the definitive move was to use Ryan Zimmerman.

In the press box, the media was told Frandsen would be the pinch-hitter, but he was never announced over the stadium loudspeakers. The umpiring crew gathered for a huddle and determined that Frandsen did not officially enter the game.

Zimmerman singled and was removed for pinch-runner Danny Espinosa, who replaced Cabrera at second base in the top of the 11th.

GALLERY: Nationals-Giants in the NL Division Series