Sep 9, 2008 10:41 pm US/Pacific
Velez's 9th Inning Single Helps Giants Top D-Backs
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ―
Eugenio Velez singled home the winning run with one out in the ninth and the San Francisco Giants dealt the stumbling Arizona Diamondbacks their fifth straight defeat with a 5-4 victory Tuesday night.
The D-backs' fifth straight loss matched their season high, also done from May 26-30. Arizona also has a nine-game road skid, the club's longest since also dropping nine consecutive contests away from Phoenix from Aug. 29-Sept. 18, 2004.
Arizona began the night 1 ½ games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers, who swept the D-backs over the weekend to take over the top spot in the NL West.
Chris Snyder hit a tying two-run homer off All-Star closer Brian Wilson in the ninth to make it 4-4, but Wilson (3-2) still earned the victory.
Jon Rauch allowed a leadoff single to Pablo Sandoval to start the ninth and then Nate Schierholtz walked to chase Rauch (4-7), who is 0-5 since joining Arizona. Juan Cruz relieved and got Omar Vizquel to fly out before Velez singled to right. A sliding Sandoval narrowly beat the throw home by right fielder Jeff Salazar for the winning run.
Giants' pinch-hitter Fred Lewis chopped a single to right in the eighth for the lead only to see Arizona tie it.
Vizquel doubled to start the eighth and went to third on a sacrifice by pinch-hitter Dave Roberts. After Randy Winn was intentionally walked, Lewis came up big against Tony Pena. Rich Aurilia followed with an RBI single, his third base hit of the game.
Giants starter Barry Zito struck out nine in six solid innings but didn't get a decision, then Keiichi Yabu followed with two hitless innings with two strikeouts. He seemed poised for the win until Wilson blew only his fourth save all season.
Pinch-hitter Bengie Molina, getting a night off from his normal catching duties, singled in the tying run in the sixth then was replaced by 2008 draft pick Conor Gillaspie as a pinch runner for his major league debut.
Zito had an RBI single in the second to score Schierholtz for the Giants' first run. Schierholtz, a September callup after earning a bronze medal with the U.S. baseball team in the Beijing Olympics last month, hit his fourth career triple and first this year.
Arizona cleanup hitter Adam Dunn went 0-for-4 and struck out two more times after getting three Ks in Monday's 6-2 loss.
D-backs starter Doug Davis, who had won two of his last three decisions, singled in a run in the second to help his cause but Arizona's bats again couldn't come through when it counted.
Notes:@ Injured Giants RHP reliever Merkin Valdez tested his strained throwing elbow in a simulated game, the first time he's thrown to live hitters. ... One of the Giants' last ways to commemorate the club's 50th anniversary season in San Francisco will be the unveiling of a "Wall of Fame" on Sept. 23 -- a tribute to the organization's top players who are retired and have spent a minimum of nine seasons with the Giants or five seasons with at least one All-Star selection. ... San Francisco rookie INF Emmanuel Burriss had an MRI exam on his strained left side muscle and isn't likely to play again this season. Typical recovery time is at least three weeks. He is still expected to participate in the Arizona Fall League starting next month with the Scottsdale team. ... D-backs RHP Max Scherzer will start Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds in place of Yusmeiro Petit. Scherzer made a spot start in place of the injured Randy Johnson last Sunday against the Dodgers and struck out 11 in five-plus innings, prompting the move by manager Bob Melvin. "Looking at his performance we just think it's the right thing to do," Melvin said.
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