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Molina goes deep twice for Giants
By Jeremy Kahn July 22, 2008 |
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SAN FRANCISCO-It may have taken the All-Star break for Barry Zito to finally his pitching motion once again. Zito went six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, while walking three and striking out five. Bengie Molina hit two home runs in his first at-bats, as the San Francisco Giants were able to hang on to defeat the Washington Nationals 6-3 before 34,813 at AT&T Park. It was the second time this season that Molina hit two home runs in the same game, as the previous time came on April 8, 2008 against the San Diego Padres. The second of Molina’s two home runs in that game was of the walk-off fashion, as the Giants defeated the Padres 3-2 in 11 innings. Fred Lewis led off the game with a home run that bounced off of one of the flagpoles holding a Levi’s flag on the right field arcade. If Lewis’ ball does not hit the flagpole, it would have landed in McCovey Cove and would have been the 48th Splash Hit by a Giants player since the ballpark opened its gates on April 11, 2000. This was the second time this season that the Giants led off a game with a home run, as Randy Winn led off the June 2 game versus the New York Mets on the way to a 10-2 victory for the home-standing Giants. The Nationals got on the board in the top of the second inning, as Paul LoDuca hit a ground-rule double to score Jesus Flores. LoDuca drove in the Nationals second run of the game, as he singled off of Zito’s glove and Austin Kearns scored to narrow the Giants lead down just one run. Molina then put the Giants back up by two runs, as he smashed a Jason Bergmann offering over the left field wall. Omar Vizquel drove in the Giants run of the evening, as he doubled in Rich Aurilia, who reached on a Felipe Lopez fielding error in the bottom of the fourth inning. Aaron Rowand drove in the Giants final run of the evening, as he singled in Randy Winn, who singled and then stole second. Zito’s only big mistake of the evening was when Willie Harris hit the first pitch Zito threw in the top of the fifth inning over the right field wall for his seventh home run of the season. Bergmann was roughed up in the very first inning, and was never able to get back on track throughout the entire game. In five innings of work, Bergmann gave up five runs (four of them earned) on five hits, while walking nobody and striking out one; however he gave those three home runs. |
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