Chris Haft
MLB.com
Sunday was a difference-maker in more ways than one for the Giants.
In terms of sheer mathematics, they needed their 13-inning, 7-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers to finish with a winning record on their three-city trip. San Francisco not only went 4-3 but also improved to 5-0 in rubber games while engineering two wins in three games here.
More importantly for the Giants, this decision reinforced their confidence. They remained in second place in the National League West, 4 1/2 games behind first-place Los Angeles, but have captured their last two series against their archrivals, who must play until July without star slugger Manny Ramirez.
"Winning series gets you to October," center fielder Aaron Rowand said.
First comes August, which will be the next time the Giants and Dodgers face each other. That could be a meaningful month if San Francisco sustains its workmanlike winning pace.
"Our motto has been, 'We don't lose a series,'" closer Brian Wilson said. "At least I've been saying that."
The Giants couldn't be assured of this until Randy Winn's bases-loaded single with one out in the 13th inning off Guillermo Mota (2-1) broke a 5-5 tie. By then, shadows crossed Dodger Stadium's playing surface in odd places, interfering with the hitters' vision. Winn, who went 4-for-6, adjusted by batting without his sunglasses for the first time all afternoon, then lining Mota's 0-1 pitch to left field.
The Giants hope that this performance prompts a surge from Winn, who entered the game hitting .219.
"He's either scorching hot or ice cold. There's no in-between," hitting coach Carney Lansford said.
Winn was only one of several key contributors during this four-hour, 44-minute epic.
Lacking his best stuff, starter Tim Lincecum surrendered four runs (three earned) and six hits in six innings, though he struck out eight and walked only one. But he was backed by a resolute bullpen that limited Los Angeles to one run and five hits in seven innings.
Rowand made two remarkable catches, the second of which saved the game for the Giants: a running, lunging catch of Juan Pierre's fly to right-center field. With two outs and Casey Blake on first base, Pierre's well-placed drive would have scored the winning run for Los Angeles had it fallen safely.
Rowand knew that the outcome hung in the balance as he sped across from left-center field, where he was playing Pierre.
"You know in that situation, [Blake] isn't going to be waiting to see [where the ball lands]," said Rowand, who also dove to snare Mark Loretta's sixth-inning line drive.
First baseman Rich Aurilia provided more defensive help in the eighth inning when he leaped to grab James Loney's high chopper and turned it into a double play.
Though the Giants amassed 14 hits, they remained mostly punchless. Sunday, their offense included three sacrifice flies -- including one by Lincecum -- and a bases-loaded walk. They squeezed out five infield hits, hiking their league-leading total to 38. This echoed Friday's series opener, which the Giants won, 3-1, while relying on three infield singles and a pair of sacrifice flies.
Still, this approach Sunday enabled them to overcome a 4-2 deficit and take a brief 5-4 lead in the 12th on Aurilia's sacrifice fly. Blake's one-out homer off Wilson in the bottom of the inning tied the score.
"That's the way we have to play," Lansford said. "We don't have guys with a lot of pop. You have to create and manufacture runs."
That might get easier if Winn continues his surge and Emmanuel Burriss, who garnered a career-high four hits and has eight multiple-hit games in his last 10, establishes consistency. Manager Bruce Bochy said that he's considering capitalizing on Burriss' ascent by batting him leadoff. Previously, Burriss has hit mostly eighth this year.
"I'll try to stay with the same approach I've been having," Burriss said when asked about the possibility of assuming a more prominent role.
The Giants also will try to stick to their approach, which can be defined as resourceful and resilient.
"You can't say enough about how they battled," Bochy said of his players. "You have to be proud of them for that."
From: MLB.com
 San Francisco (16-14) Won 1 | San Francisco 7, LA Dodgers 5 |  LA Dodgers (22-11) Lost 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Standings thru 5/10/09 | Recap: SF | LAD | Wrap | Gameday |
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