|
|
 |
 |
|
| |
Tuesday, Apr. 18 7:05pm ET
Giants sloppy but stop 7-game skid | |||||
|
| ||||||
|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Barry Bonds scored five times, something he hadn't done in nearly seven years. Kirk Rueter pitched in relief, something he hadn't done in nearly four years. And the San Francisco Giants won a game, something that hadn't happened in 11 days. The Giants overcome their most embarrassing inning of the season and ended a seven-game losing streak Tuesday night by beating the Cincinnati Reds 13-9 for their first win since April 7. "Seems like a long, long time but hey, man, it's over now," Giants manager Dusty Baker said. "Now we're starting a road trip and we're 1-0. I hope that will be our only bad stretch of the year." It ended with what was their worst game of the year in most respects. San Francisco's two errors helped Cincinnati score seven times on only two hits in the third, when the Reds pulled ahead 8-4 with their biggest inning of the season. "We didn't allow it to get away from us," said Bonds, who homered, reached on an error and walked four times. "That's a good sign." Another collapse by the bullpen that was the NL's stingiest last season helped the Giants get only their fourth victory in 13 games. Doug Mirabelli hit a pair of solo homers, the second one leading off a four-run sixth inning that put the Giants ahead once again. Ellis Burks tied it with a two-run single off Scott Williamson (1-2), and the 1999 NL Rookie of the Year walked J.T. Snow with the based loaded to put the Giants ahead 9-8. Williamson's wild pitch with the bases loaded let in another run in the seventh. The right-hander fired his glove at the back of the dugout after the inning, threw his jacket and kicked at the drink cooler. The Giants added three runs in the ninth with the help of Cincinnati's second error and the game's fifth overall. Rueter (1-1) got the win in only his second career relief appearance, allowing two hits in 2 1/3 innings. "That wasn't very pretty," manager Jack McKeon said. "That's a tough way to start a homestand. We had to go to the bullpen early and that put us in a box. "It seemed like we wanted to walk everybody in front of Bonds just to get to him. Those guys walked a lot, too. The pitching on either side wasn't very good." Both teams batted around once and fumbled around a lot in a 3-hour, 51-minute game that featured 13 pitchers, 16 walks, two hit batters, three wild pitches and a passed ball. The teams went out in order only four times in the 18 half-innings. Starters Joe Nathan and Ron Villone both failed to make it through the third inning, putting the game in the hands of two struggling bullpens. "I guess I kind of set the tone for an ugly game," said Villone, who took the mound first. Villone had a rough night all around, giving up eight hits in 2 2/3 innings and dropping a throw at first for an error that led to a run. Bonds hit a two-run homer in the first, his 29th in Cincinnati, tying Mike Schmidt for the most by an opponent. He wound up circling the bases five times. "I'm tired," he said. "It was hard to run around those bases tonight." The Giants threw away a 4-1 lead with their worst inning of the season. After making only five errors in their first 12 games, the Giants made two in the third as Cincinnati sent 11 batters to the plate. Nathan walked the bases loaded to open the inning, but had a chance to escape without allowing a run. He struck out Dante Bichette and got Dmitri Young to hit a potential double-play grounder directly to second baseman Jeff Kent, but shortstop Rich Aurilia dropped his on-target throw to second. Third baseman Russ Davis also fumbled away a grounder to let in a run as the inning escalated. Barry Larkin's bases-loaded double made it 8-4 and ended Nathan's appearance. Game notesFour of Bonds' six homers have come in the first inning. He has three hits in his last 16 at-bats, all of them homers. ... Bonds also scored five runs in a 1993 game at San Diego. ... Rueter, who had his start rained out Sunday, made his major league debut in relief on Aug. 4, 1996. His next 162 appearances were as a starter. ... Nathan has walked 13 in 15 2/3 innings. ... Williamson walked five in 1 1/3 innings, a career high. ... Reds RHP Pete Harnisch will miss his scheduled start Wednesday because of a stiff forearm. He won't pitch again until Saturday. ... 1B Sean Casey took batting practice for the first time since breaking his right thumb on April 1. He hit several balls into the seats and felt no pain. He could be activated this weekend. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard San Francisco Clubhouse Cincinnati Clubhouse RECAPS Tampa Bay 0 Baltimore 0
San Francisco 13 AUDIO/VIDEO   Jack McKeon says the Reds' pitchers gave up too many walks.wav: 86 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6   | |||||