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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
PHOENIX (AP) -- This was just what the San Francisco Giants
needed, a romp over NL West rival Arizona.
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| Kent |
Jeff Kent drove in five runs with a bases-loaded double, a solo home run and an RBI single as the Giants beat the Diamondbacks 11-5 Friday night for just their second victory in 11 games.
"We got a lot of hits. We've been due for hits," Kent said. "This is a good ball club. You can't keep the Giants down for too long."
Marvin Benard hit a three-run homer and got a fourth RBI when
reliever Russ Springer walked him with the bases loaded. Bill
Mueller added a solo homer for San Francisco and starter Russ Ortiz
(2-2) helped his cause with a single and a double.
Benard said the Giants had an informal meeting on Thursday.
"It's always nice when everybody can get together and just try
to blow steam off, make everybody relax, because I'm pretty sure
there were a couple of us trying to do too much, trying to press to
get things going," he said.
The result was a relaxed Giants team.
"We know we've got a good offense, it's just that we haven't
been able to get going," manager Dusty Baker said. "Tonight we
got some timely hitting out of some guys, some clutch hitting, some
two-out RBI hits. It certainly helps your pitcher when you can
score a lot of runs, especially in consecutive innings like we did
in the middle of the ballgame."
In the opener of a three-game series, the Giants scored seven runs off Todd Stottlemyre (3-1) in 3 2/3 innings.
"I was behind on the count a lot and couldn't get my breaking
ball over," said Stottlemyre, who had beaten Ortiz and the Giants
six days earlier. "It was just a case of bad command and not
getting the ball done."
Five Arizona pitchers allowed 16 hits and walked nine.
"With the number of walks we gave up, you can't do that with
any major league team and compete," Diamondbacks manager Buck
Showalter said.
Kelly Stinnett, who hit two homers off of Ortiz on April 15 in
Arizona's 7-4 victory at San Francisco, hit another one against him
in the second inning, a 438-foot drive to left. Jay Bell also
homered off Ortiz leading off the seventh.
Ortiz allowed four runs and 10 hits in seven innings. He struck
out five and walked four, including a bases-loaded walk of Andy Fox
in the sixth. Arizona stranded 11 runners, leaving the bases loaded
in the first and sixth.
Kent said that despite the slow start, it was way to early for
anyone to panic.
"There are quite a few veterans on this ballclub that
understand what it takes to play 162 games," he said. "You don't
worry about a week stretch or a two-week stretch even. You worry
about it if it's the end of the year, but you definitely don't
worry about it now, because you can beat yourself up in this game
and bury yourself."
The Giants, off to their worst start since 1983, scored three
apiece in the third and fourth innings while stopping Arizona's
three-game winning streak.
Ortiz led off the third with a single, then Benard walked. They
advanced on Mueller's sacrifice, then Stottlemyre loaded the bases
by walking Barry Bonds. Kent doubled to deep center to clear the
bases and make it 4-1.
In the fourth, Rich Aurilia singled with one out and Ortiz hit a
ground-rule double with two outs to put runners at second and
third, then Bernard homered to right field to make it 7-1.
Kent led off the fifth with a homer, then J.T. Snow reached base
on an error by Erubiel Durazo. Springer got two outs, then walked
Doug Mirabelli, Ortiz and Benard to make it 9-1.
Game notes
The Diamondbacks designated right-handed reliever Darren
Holmes for assignment to make room for closer Matt Mantei, who was
activated from the disabled list (biceps tendinitis). Holmes will
be released if he isn't traded within 10 days. ... If the Giants
had lost, their 4-12 start would have been their worst since 1951,
the year of their miracle comeback to win the pennant on Bobby
Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World." ... Arizona's Tony
Womack, who missed Monday's game to attend the funeral of his
grandmother, will miss Sunday's game to attend the funeral of his
father-in-law. ... Bonds and Ellis Burks came out of the game before it ended. Both are battling the flu.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
San Francisco Clubhouse
Arizona Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 8
NY Yankees 3
Cleveland 0
Boston 0
Anaheim 9
Tampa Bay 6
Chi. White Sox 7
Detroit 2
Minnesota 10
Texas 5
Baltimore 11
Oakland 9
Seattle 10
Kansas City 2
Los Angeles 9
Cincinnati 2
Philadelphia 4
Florida 3
Montreal 5
Milwaukee 1
Chicago Cubs 0
NY Mets 0
Atlanta 6
Pittsburgh 2
San Diego 7
Houston 2
Colorado 6
St. Louis 4
San Francisco 11
Arizona 5
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