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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The bottom of the order picked up for the big
boppers in the San Francisco Giants lineup Saturday, and Robb
Nen did the same for a tiring Livan Hernandez.
Hernandez pitched eight strong innings in his 100th career start
and the Giants got home runs from 6-7-8 hitters Rich Aurilia,
Armando Rios and Bobby Estalella in a 5-2 victory over the Los
Angeles Dodgers.
|  | | Livan Hernandez improved to 9-3 in his past 15 starts. |
"It was fun for us to be able to pick up the rest of the
guys," Estalella said.
Hernandez (9-7) retired 13 consecutive batters before giving up
a leadoff single in the eighth to Adrian Beltre and a one-out homer
to Kevin Elster.
Nen came on in the ninth and issued a leadoff walk to Todd
Hollandsworth, but retired Gary Sheffield, Shawn Green and Eric
Karros in order to notch his 22nd save in 27 attempts.
"They had some dangerous dudes coming up, and Livan had gotten
them out three times already," Giants manager Dusty Baker said.
"It was hot out there, Livan did his job, and it was time for Robb
Nen to do his. I certainly didn't want a replay of last night."
The Giants took the field still smarting from Friday night's 6-5
loss, in which reliever Felix Rodriguez gave up a three-run homer
to Karros in the eighth inning. But they avoided losing two in a
row for the first time since the last three games in June.
"That was huge for us, after that tough loss last night,"
Baker said. "Most of the time we come back and win after a game
like that -- and it helps when you've got a horse like Livan out
there. He was changing speeds, he was throwing all his pitches. He
was magnificent."
Hernandez allowed five hits, struck out six and walked one. The
MVP of the 1997 NLCS and World Series with the Florida Marlins is
9-3 in his last 15 starts.
"He had command of all of his pitches all day long and we had a
good tempo going," Estalella said of his batterymate. "It made
the game easier and more fun."
So did the home runs by Aurilia, Estalella and Rios, which gave
San Francisco a 5-0 lead after four innings against rookie Eric
Gagne (1-6).
The right-hander gave up six hits over five innings, despite
limiting the Giants' 1-through-5 batters to a single in 12 at-bats.
Aurilia hit his 10th homer with two outs in the second. Rios
followed with a double and scored on Estalella's homer.
Rios hit his sixth homer in the fourth inning after a two-out
walk to Aurilia.
Gagne, whose only victory this season was in an interleague
game, has surrendered 18 home runs this season in only 75 2/3
innings during his 14 starts.
"That's what ticks me off. We had a big rally yesterday, and
today I go out and give up five runs in four innings," he said.
"I made four or five bad pitches up, and they jumped on them.
They're a pretty good team. That's why they're close to first
place. They just jump on your mistakes, and that's what they did
today."
Game notes
Estalella's grand slam against the Mets on May 2 fueled
Hernandez's first victory of the season. He hit two more homers in
Hernandez's next outing to power a 6-4 win over the Cardinals. ...
Neither Sheffield nor Barry Bonds homered in their head-to-head
duel for the major league lead. Sheffield, whose fourth-inning bid
was caught on the warning track, still leads Bonds 33-32. Bonds was
0-for-4 and struck out twice. ... Hernandez, who singled in the
fifth, has hit safely in 22 of his last 35 starts and is 25-for-89
during that span.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
San Francisco Clubhouse
Los Angeles Clubhouse
RECAPS
Kansas City 8
Detroit 5
Detroit 10
Kansas City 6
(2nd game)
Oakland 10
Anaheim 3
Seattle 13
Texas 5
Baltimore 8
Toronto 2
Tampa Bay 12
NY Yankees 4
Boston 8
Chi. White Sox 6
Minnesota 10
Cleveland 6
NY Mets 4
Atlanta 0
Cincinnati 7
Arizona 3
Houston 10
St. Louis 5
Chicago Cubs 3
Milwaukee 2
San Francisco 5
Los Angeles 2
Montreal 17
Florida 7
Pittsburgh 2
Philadelphia 1
Colorado 9
San Diego 4
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