Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Giants 5, Padres 1
The Associated Press
SAN DIEGO - San Francisco's bullpen got a badly needed rest, thanks to Kirk Rueter. The left-hander held San Diego to three hits in seven scoreless innings and Benito Santiago hit a two-run homer and finished with three RBIs as the Giants beat the Padres 5-1 Tuesday night.
Rueter's solid effort came a night after the Giants' pen had to work 7 1-3 innings in a 4-3 loss because Ryan Jensen retired only two batters before leaving with a sprained ankle.
Rueter (1-1) allowed just one runner to reach third, struck out four and walked none. He improved to 9-2 lifetime against San Diego.
“He's a big-game pitcher and boy, we needed those innings bad,” manager Dusty Baker said.
“After what happened yesterday, as a starter, you always want to go out and save the bullpen,” Rueter said. “Dusty was going to let me go 100 to 110 pitches just because of what happened last night, so I was just trying to get through seven, eight innings if I could.”
Rueter threw 107 pitches.
Felix Rodriguez pitched a perfect eighth and Robb Nen allowed an RBI single to Bubba Trammell in the ninth.
Padres manager Bruce Bochy and first baseman Phil Nevin — hitting an NL-best .413 coming into the game — were ejected in the bottom of the sixth for arguing a strike call, and Nevin had to be restrained from going after umpire Mike Everitt.
Bochy and Nevin were tossed within moments of each other in the sixth. Bochy was ejected first, apparently for saying something from the dugout after a called strike on the first pitch from Rueter with two outs. Bochy then ran out to home plate and swiped a foot through the left-handed batter's box as if to indicate that was how far outside the pitch was.
Nevin struck out swinging, then slammed down his bat and helmet. A moment later, he took off his shin guard and flipped it over his head, and Everitt tossed him.
Nevin then charged Everitt. Padres third base coach Tim Flannery tried to get in Nevin's way and bench coach Rob Picciolo grabbed Nevin. Third base umpire John Shulock also helped restrain Nevin, who finally was led away.
Nevin said he was frustrated at himself for swinging and missing at two pitches.
“I threw my bat and helmet down. Apparently, he thought I was angry at him,” Nevin said. “He told me he was fining me for equipment toss, so I took my shin guard off and said, 'Well, throw that on there, too.”
Bochy said he was frustrated by Everitt's strike zone.
“Rueter threw it out there and he kept getting it,” Bochy said. “It seemed like it got a little wider and that's what frustrated me and the club. I just wanted our hitters to have a chance.
“Mike's a good umpire. I just felt like the zone was a little too big tonight.”
Santiago, the catcher, said Rueter's pitches were “moving and moving and moving. He's one of the best guys in using the outside corner I know.”
Rueter was backed by Jeff Kent's sacrifice fly in the first and Santiago's homer to right-center field with two outs in the sixth, his second. San Diego reliever Juan Moreno walked J.T. Snow with the bases loaded in the seventh and then walked Santiago with the bases loaded in the ninth.
Barry Bonds went 1-for-2 with three walks, two intentional.
Nevin was 0-for-3 against Rueter.
San Diego's Brett Tomko (0-1) allowed three runs, two earned, on seven hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked two.
Notes: San Francisco is 4-1 against San Diego this year. ... San Diego has lost just twice in its last eight games. ... Giants SS Rich Aurilia returned after missing seven games with a strained left groin. ... X-rays on Ryan Jensen's right ankle were negative, trainer Stan Conte said. Jensen left Monday's game after spraining his right ankle in the first inning. Jensen threw for about 10 minutes from flat ground and then threw 10 pitches from the mound. The Giants don't know yet whether Jensen will be able to make his next start. ... Nevin needs one homer to become the fifth player to hit 100 homers with the Padres. The four who've done it are Nate Colbert (163), Dave Winfield (154), Tony Gwynn (135) and Ken Caminiti (121). Nevin has three homers this year, including Monday night's shot leading off the bottom of the ninth that gave the Padres a 4-3 win.
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Giants 5, Padres 1 
