Dodgers Edge Giants, 8-7 (12 Innings)
By JOSH DUBOW
SAN FRANCISCO – Derek Lowe can say he’s had as much success as any pitcher against Barry Bonds. Lowe held the Giants’ slugger hitless in three more at-bats and stuck on 751 home runs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers won their 10th straight game in San Francisco on Rafael Furcal’s sacrifice fly in the 12th inning of an 8-7 victory Saturday.
Bonds grounded out twice and struck out against Lowe, falling to 0-for-11 in his career against the right-hander. The only other pitcher Bonds has faced without getting a hit in at least that many at-bats is former Pirate Chris Peters, who also held Bonds hitless in 11 at-bats from 1996-99.
Bonds struck out in the seventh inning against Joe Beimel and grounded out in the 11th against Mark Hendrickson in his first 0-for-5 game since Sept. 26, 2005. Bonds is hitless in his last 13 at-bats and has not homered since July 3 at Cincinnati, remaining four shy of tying Hank Aaron’s record of 755.
Bonds did walk to lead off the ninth against All-Star closer Takashi Saito and scored the tying run on Pedro Feliz’s two-out RBI single. Saito has blown three of 26 save chances.
But the Dodgers still rallied to win after blowing leads of 6-0 and 7-2.
James Loney started the winning rally with a leadoff double in the 12th against Pat Misch (0-1) and went to third when Wilson Betemit’s popup landed just fair down the right-field line for a single. After a groundout put runners on second and third, Misch intentionally walked pinch-hitter Nomar Garciaparra to load the bases.
Furcal then hit a fly ball to medium depth in right field, but Loney easily beat Fred Lewis’ throw home to score the go-ahead run.
Hendrickson (4-4) pitched two scoreless innings for the win. Rudy Seanez worked the 12th for his first save since June 23, 2001, for San Diego.
Jeff Kent and Betemit homered in a six-run fifth for the Dodgers, who are on their longest winning streak in a road ballpark since beating the Giants 13 straight times at Candlestick Park from 1976-77.
San Francisco rallied late behind Randy Winn’s sixth career grand slam with two outs in the eighth inning against Chin-Hui Tsao that cut the lead to 7-6. The shot down the right-field line came on the first pitch after Winn fouled a ball off his foot, prompting the trainer to come out to tend to him. Winn left the game with a bruised right foot after limping around the bases on his homer.
The Dodgers broke open a scoreless game with the big fifth inning against Matt Morris. Betemit started the outburst with a solo homer just over the glove of a leaping Bonds in left-center. Furcal and Russell Martin added two-out RBI singles before Kent’s three-run homer made it 6-0. Kent added a run-scoring single in the seventh, matching his season high with four RBIs.
The Giants got a pair of runs back in the bottom half on RBI singles by Dave Roberts and Winn and had runners on second and third with two outs for Bonds. Lowe pitched to him despite the open base and got Bonds to ground out. Bonds had been walked all five times – four intentionally – when batting with runners on second and third this season.
The Giants were unable to score in the first inning despite a pair of errors by the Dodgers and a double, in part because Bonds grounded into his third double play in two games. Roberts was caught trying to steal second after reaching on an error by Loney at first base to open the game. After an error by Kent at second base put runners on first and third, Bonds hit into the inning-ending double play.
Notes:@ Bonds’ three GIDPs in two games were his most since also doing it July 3-4, 1991, with Pittsburgh against the Cubs. … Morris allowed six runs and eight hits in five innings, and is winless in his last five starts with an 8.13 ERA. … This marked the second straight game the Dodgers scored six runs in an inning, also doing it in the ninth inning of a 9-1 win Friday. … The Dodgers made three errors in a game for the fourth time this season.