Monday, July 22, 2002
Giants 6, Dodgers 4
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Tom Goodwin, a replacement for Barry Bonds, burned his former team for the second time in three games Sunday, hitting a two-run homer in the ninth inning to give the San Francisco Giants a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Goodwin, whose two-out RBI single gave the Giants a 3-2, 12-inning victory Friday night, hit the first pitch from Giovanni Carrara (5-3) over the right-field wall.
Pinch-hitter J.T. Snow, batting for Russ Ortiz (7-6), drew a one-out walk before Goodwin hit his first homer of the season.
The Dodgers released Goodwin during spring training and he signed with the Giants on April 17.
“You don't get too many chances to win a ballgame,” said Goodwin, who turns 34 next Saturday. “It's great to get the win, a home run is one of the greatest feelings in the world.”
Goodwin now has 23 homers in 3,469 lifetime at-bats including four in 286 at-bats last year.
“His first home run as a Giant was huge,” Giants manager Dusty Baker said of Goodwin. “Maybe whoever we put out there (in left field) hits home runs, I don't know. Maybe there'll be some guys fighting to get out there now.”
Carrara was in his third inning of work and wound up throwing 51 pitches while giving up three runs. He pitched two scoreless innings Friday night, using 21 pitches.
“I liked the matchup with Carrara and Goodwin,” Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said when asked about not bringing in a lefty to face the left handed-hitting Goodwin. “Would you have expected him to hit a home run?
“Carrara was not tired. Look at how he retired (David) Bell and (Jeff) Kent after the home run.”
Goodwin entered Friday night's game in the 11th after Bonds strained his right hamstring chasing a fly ball by Eric Karros that wound up being a triple.
Bonds has made significant improvement since being injured, but is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday. He took batting practice, did some light jogging and rode a stationary bike before Sunday's game.
Ortiz gave up nine hits and four runs in eight innings. Robb Nen pitched the ninth, striking out Dave Roberts with runners on second and third for his 26th save in 29 chances.
By winning, the Giants moved into second place in the NL West ahead of the Dodgers and within one game of first-place Arizona, an 11-9 loser to San Diego earlier Sunday.
The loss was the 10th in 12 games for the Dodgers, who are 2-9 since the All-Star break. Los Angeles scored 27 runs in those 11 games.
Reggie Sanders hit his second homer of the game and 14th of the season off Carrara leading off the eighth to tie it 4-all.
Held to two hits over the first five innings by Ortiz, the Dodgers scored four runs in the sixth with two outs for a 4-3 lead.
Pinch-hitter Alex Cora led off with a single and after Ortiz retired the next two batters, the Dodgers strung together five straight singles, with Shawn Green, Brian Jordan, Mark Grudzielanek and Adrian Beltre driving in runs.
The Giants took a 1-0 lead off Hideo Nomo in the fifth on Bell's two-out RBI single.
Sanders hit his first homer leading off the sixth. Rich Aurilia followed with a double and scored on Ramon Martinez's one-out single to give the Giants a 3-0 lead.
Nomo allowed seven hits and three runs in six innings.
Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros was back in the Dodgers' lineup despite being hit in the face by a Felix Rodriguez pitch on Saturday.
Karros, who played despite having 12 stitches inside his mouth and another on his chin, singled and scored in the sixth and wound up 3-for-4 before being removed for a pinch runner in the eighth.
“It was important to get right back out there, but we lost two games this weekend that we should have won, and that's more important,” Karros said.
Notes: The game was played before 54,344 — largest Dodger Stadium crowd of the year. The Dodgers have drawn 2,042,857 at home this season. ... The Giants and Dodgers drew 157,470 in the three-game series. ... The Dodgers placed INF Jeff Reboulet on the 15-day disabled list due to stiffness in his back. To replace him, they purchased the contract of C-INF-OF Mike Kinkade from Las Vegas of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. ... Green, who has 27 homers and 70 RBIs, singled in the fourth to snap an 0-for-22 dry spell. ... Jeff Kent extended his hitting streak to 13 games, equaling a career high. He has 24 hits in 54 at-bats during the streak. ... Dave Hansen singled in the ninth for his 107th pinch hit as a Dodger, surpassing the previous franchise record of 106 by Manny Mota.
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Giants 6, Dodgers 4 
