MLB.com
On the 50th anniversary of Willie McCovey's major-league debut, Pablo Sandoval blasted a ball into the cove named for the Hall of Famer and was honored to do it.
"I'm happy right now because McCovey was here," Sandoval said. "I just wanted to do that. We talk every time he's in the clubhouse. I get the support of Willie Mays and Willie McCovey all the time. That's important for me."
It was important for the Giants, too. Riding four RBIs from Sandoval and three more from rampaging Eugenio Velez, they overcame a shortage of key players and beat the World Series champion Phillies 7-2 in the opener of a four-game series.
The Giants improved to 4-0 on a homestand that followed a 3-7 trip. They did so without new second baseman Freddy Sanchez, who will not play before Saturday, Aaron Rowand, who hopes to return tonight, and at the outset Randy Winn, who did not start because his father-in-law died but was pressed into service after Andres Torres reinjured his left hamstring running the bases.
"This series is a good test for us," said Sandoval, who used his bat all evening to say "I told you so" to Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. Manuel bypassed Sandoval for a late opening on the National League All-Star team in favor of his own right fielder, Jayson Werth.
Sandoval's response was a first-inning sacrifice fly, the third-inning homer (that he watched for a good spell) and a two-run double as part of a four-run fourth, all those runs unearned after a Pedro Feliz throwing error.
Sandoval insisted the All-Star snub did not motivate him, saying, "I don't care what happened in the past."
This week, the present looks good for the Giants. The future might look better when Sanchez finally joins the lineup and Rowand returns.
The immediate future brings today's 1 p.m. trade deadline. General manager Brian Sabean did not sound confident he will acquire a starting pitcher or another bat.
He said the hitters he wants (Josh Willingham?) were not available and the list of available pitchers "isn't very enticing against what the cost of doing business is. Unless something happens that I don't anticipate, I don't see that being an option."
Sanchez, his latest acquisition, has a sprained left knee, according to one of his agents. Manager Bruce Bochy said only that Sanchez has "some soreness and inflammation, and he'll be ready in a couple of days."
The Giants' other Sanchez, Jonathan, collected his fourth win of the year and first since his July 10 no-hitter. He performed nicely into the sixth against a Phillies lineup that brought 116 homers into the game, compared with 39 for the Giants.
He allowed two runs in 52/3innings that included a Chase Utley homer to end an eventful sixth-inning at-bat.
Sanchez threw the first pitch over Utley's head, and Utley stared him down. Utley then called a late timeout that seemed to upset the left-hander, who got a calm-down visit from Sandoval, Bengie Molina and Edgar Renteria.
Sanchez called the pitch an accident, and Bochy said, "It got away from him. We've got a five-run lead (actually six). We're trying to get outs. We'd be the only team in baseball trying to hit somebody there."
Maybe the Phils were convinced, maybe not. An inning later, former Giant Tyler Walker drilled Ryan Garko in the back, prompting warnings for both teams. Garko doubted Walker threw at him, but when Bochy was asked if the pitch looked intentional, he said, "It certainly looked like it."
Garko was in good enough spirits later to praise Sandoval as "a great player. He's got that special ability to put the barrel on the baseball no matter where the ball is. He reminds me a lot of Victor Martinez, with probably a little more power."
 Philadelphia (58-42) Lost 2 | San Francisco 7, Philadelphia 2 |  San Francisco (56-46) Won 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Standings thru 7/30/09 | Recap: PHI | SF | Wrap | Gameday |
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