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  Sunday, Apr. 9 1:10pm ET
Glavine gets win, six Ks
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

ATLANTA (AP) -- Bobby Bonilla knows no matter how well he plays, he's merely a backup for the Atlanta Braves.

"I know what my role is here. There's no need to speculate and ask, 'What if?' " Bonilla said Sunday after his first three-RBI game in nearly two years sparked a 9-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Bonilla hit a solo homer in the fifth inning for a 3-2 lead and added a two-run single in the sixth that chased starter Russ Ortiz.

Braves manager Bobby Cox put Bonilla in the lineup because Brian Jordan is on the disabled list.

"We didn't want Brian Jordan hurt, and everyone in here wishes him a speedy recovery," Bonilla said. "I knew Bobby would get me enough at-bats."

Bonilla, 37, signed after the Mets released him from a guaranteed contract, is 6-for-14 (.429) with two homers and five RBI. He hadn't driven in three runs in a game since May 6, 1998, when he did it for Florida, also against the Giants.

"It's unfortunate what I went through the last few years," said Bonilla, the cause of much turmoil during his stay with the Mets last season. "All I can say is I'm just ecstatic to be here. At my age, the only thing that's important to me is shaking hands after the game. If we're shaking hands, that means we won. If we're shaking hands, it's a good day for Bobby Bo."

Tom Glavine (1-0) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings, striking out six. Glavine regained control after a 27-pitch third inning in which San Francisco took a 2-1 lead, retiring his final 11 batters.

"It's always good to get the first win early," said Glavine, who was 0-3 in his first four starts last year. "I went through a rough stretch in the third, but got it under control and settled down after that."

Atlanta broke open the game with a four-run seventh. Keith Lockhart tripled off Felix Rodriguez, Quilvio Veras and Chipper Jones singled in runs and Wally Joyner hit a two-run double.

Jeff Kent had an RBI double off Bruce Chen in the eighth.

Ortiz (1-1) allowed three runs, eight hits and six walks in 5 2/3 innings.

Atlanta went ahead in the second on Andruw Jones' sacrifice fly, but run-scoring singles by Russ Davis and Kent put San Francisco ahead in the third.

"I got an impression of why those guys are successful," Davis said. "They never make mistakes. They never panic. They never walk anybody."

Rookie Rafael Furcal tied the score in the bottom half when he walked, stole second, took third on a flyout and came across on the front end of a double steal.

Furcal, 19, tripled, singled, walked and scored three runs, raising his average to .429. After the game, Barry Bonds called the rookie "that little Pee Wee Herman kid."

Game notes
Andres Galarraga did not play despite hitting a grand slam Saturday night and driving in the game-winning runs in Atlanta's three previous victories. "It's something I talked to him about in spring," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "We knew going in he'd take some Sundays off because he'd need the rest and we had to get Wally some at-bats." ... The Giants, who returned home Sunday night, are off Monday and open Pacific Bell Park on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. ... Cox said he expected cold temperatures on the Braves' six-game road trip, which starts in Chicago and ends in Milwaukee. The weather was among the reasons Atlanta put Jordan on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right rib-cage muscle.

 


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