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Giants beat the Dodgers for the first time in 2009
By Morris Phillips April 27, 2009 |
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Never has .500 baseball displayed such an encouraging look. After the Giants 0-6 road trip two weeks ago that was hard to take and hard to watch, the team has displayed resourcefulness and resilience that has resulted in a nice stretch of seven wins in nine games. On Monday, with the first place Dodgers in town, the Giants struck first, then suffered through L.A.’s four-run seventh, but responded with two of their own in the eighth to win it, 5-4. And not lost in the outing was Barry Zito’s first six innings, in which he shut out the Dodgers by effectively setting up his mid to high 80’s fastballs by changing speeds and hitting locations, and inducing the visitors to hit harmless fly balls. Through the first six frames, Zito was effective, allowing just three hits, two walks and no runs. In the seventh, his night unraveled. With the Giants nursing a 3-0 lead they established in the first inning off Randy Wolf, Zito entered the pivotal frame in reach of getting his first win of 2009. And the significance of that first win couldn’t have loomed any larger, given, of course, Zito’s huge contrac t, and his disastrous April and May last year when he went winless, and became the closest thing the Giants had to a national story in 2008. But after striking out Russell Martin to start the inning, Zito walked Mark Loretta and went 2-0 against Casey Blake. At that point, Dave Righetti paid Zito a visit, and it apparently wasn’t a helpful visit. The next pitch was a strike, but then the ball slipped out of Zito’s hand, flying toward first base, and ruled a balk. Then on 3-1, Blake hit a smash into the leftfield bleachers to get the Dodgers within 3-2. When Zito surrendered a single to Juan Pierre on the next pitch, his night was done, suddenly and unceremoniously. And Merkin Valdez couldn’t pick Zito up. The bullpen failed for the second straight day, when Valdez threw 22 pitches, including a wild pitch, to four batters allowing three to reach and the Dodgers to score twice more, before getting Matt Kemp to ground into an inning-ending double play. But the Giants didn’t wilt, in their next turn at bat, they got resourceful. First, Fred Lewis avoided an 0 for 4 collar with a base hit, and with Lewis running, Edgar Renteria singled. Flame thrower Ronald Belasario from the Dodgers bullpen then struck out Randy Winn. But then Rich Aurilia battled, fouling off three pitches, before delivering a nubber that was well-placed between home and first, and allowed Lewis to score, and Aurilia reach, when Belasario tried to flip the ball towards home plate. Belasario helped the Giants again with a wild pitch, and then another tough at-bat from pinch hitter Benji Molina allowed the Giants to push across the game winner on a fielder’s choice, ground out. “I was happy to get the run in, regardless of how I did it,” said Aurilia. “Any way we can get runs in with this team right now, we’ll take it.” Closer Brian Wilson, putting the disappointment of yesterday’s game-tying homer he allowed to the Diamondback’s Justin Upton behind him, responded by striking out the side on just 16 pitches. Tomorrow the Giants try to keep the momentum building by taking on the Dodger’s 4-0 starter, Chad Billingsley. He will be opposed by Jonathon Sanchez. BARRY IN THE HOUSE: Barry Bonds made his first appearance at Pac Bell Park in 2009, sitting on the left side of the Giants dugout with Giant bigwigs Larry Baer and Bill Neukom. And unlike many of his appearances at the end of his career in 2007, he was still around for the Giants winning rally in the eighth, and closer Brian Wilson’s last pitch in the ninth. When house announcer Renel Brooks-Moon introduced Bonds in the second as “baseball’s all-time home run leader” the reception was positive and polite with boos basically drowned out, and the brief Barry! Barry! Barry toward the end of a 30-second ovation. Bonds was personable in interviews with the Giants television announcers and radio crew, and he greeted several well-wishers that made their way down to his field level seat—and past the two, observant police officers seated two rows behind him. |
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