GIANTS bite the Snakes...win 5-4

Arizona Republic

Making his first start since his latest back surgery, Diamondbacks left-hander Randy Johnson didn't look particularly sharp Monday night, but he looked much more polished than the defense behind him.

Two errors and a handful of other miscues allowed the San Francisco Giants to score five unearned runs en route to a 5-4 victory over the Diamondbacks on a chilly and windy night at AT&T Park.

Johnson allowed three unearned runs in five innings, looking a lot like he did in his first start off of back surgery last year. At times, he looked like the Johnson of old. Other times, he looked like a pitcher still trying to find his form.

Despite getting little help from the defense, Johnson left with the lead, but an error by shortstop Stephen Drew in the seventh inning paved the way for the Giants to score twice and take the lead against reliever Chad Qualls.

With the bases loaded, San Francisco's Ray Durham hit a grounder toward first base, where Conor Jackson fielded. But instead of going home where he appeared to have a play, Jackson threw to second for the force.

One batter later, Bengie Molina delivered a sacrifice fly to put the Giants ahead for good and send the Diamondbacks to yet another loss in this ballpark, where they are 14-33 since 2003.

Johnson struggled with his command, particularly early in the game. His first four pitches of the game, all fastballs, sailed up and off the plate, well out of the strike zone.

Though he threw sliders for strikes, he missed nine times with fastballs in the first inning before finally throwing a strike with a 90 mph heater on his 16th pitch.

But his command steadily improved. After throwing balls on 17 of his first 27 pitches, he finished by firing strikes on 39 of his final 63.

Johnson showed flashes of dominance. A slider in the first inning nearly hit the back foot of a swinging Aaron Rowand. He froze Rich Aurilia on an inside fastball for strike three and struck out Dan Ortmeier and Brian Bocock on high fastballs.

At times, however, his location was spotty, his stuff inconsistent and his velocity just passable, as he worked in the 89-92 mph range. But if last season is any indication, this just might be the beginning for Johnson as he works into shape.

Still, he was effective and likely would have pitched deeper had the defense been better.

An error by third baseman Mark Reynolds started the second inning, and after a walk and a sacrifice bunt, the Giants had runners at second and third with two out for Randy Winn.

With the count full, Johnson fired a slider that broke Winn's bat, but the bloop barely eluded Drew, who ranged into left field only to have the ball pop out of his glove on a dive.

Both runners scored, and Winn came home a batter later when Rowand doubled on a ball just out of Reynolds' reach.

Johnson had a lead to work with before he even took the mound thanks to Jackson, who followed a walk to Orlando Hudson by blistering an inside fastball from Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez for a two-run homer.

After the Giants took a 3-2 lead, the Diamondbacks answered with two more runs, Jackson and Justin Upton delivering RBI singles.

Comment: Perspective from Arizona. The Giants are playing better now. The infusion of youth has inspired the club. Where was John Bowker? Obviously, Bruce Bochy did not want to see how he could hit against a southpaw the stature of the Big Unit. Hopefully, the Giants play is a positive sign of the future. Has anyone taken a look at the minors? The Giants young pitchers have been lights out. Their hitting.....sound familiar...keep it up Giants!

GIANTS Defeat St. Louis 7-4

Bowker, Lincecum Star

Rick Eymer - MLB.com

John Bowker continued his outstanding start and Tim Lincecum pitched six strong innings as the San Francisco Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-4, on Sunday to split their four-game series.
Bowker became the first San Francisco Giant to homer in his first two games, slamming a two-run shot during a five-run rally in the fourth inning against Joel Pineiro, who was making his season debut.

Bowker drove in four runs on the day, adding a single and sacrifice fly as the Giants won their fourth in six games.

Eugenio Velez added a two-run single and Lincecum drove in a run with a single, both in the fourth.

Lincecum (2-0) became only the second Giants starter to earn a victory, joining Kevin Correia. He allowed two runs on six hits over six innings, walking one and striking out 11, one off his career high and the third time he's struck out 10 or more in a game.

Lincecum retired eight in a row, six by strikeouts, during one point in the game.

Tyler Walker got out of a critical jam in the eighth to help the Giants, getting St. Louis leadoff hitter Skip Schumaker to ground out with the bases loaded. Brian Wilson pitched the ninth for his third save.

Lewis, Correia spark hot Giants

Three straight wins after club's 1-6 start

Harry Schulman - San Francisco Chronicle

The Giants held kangaroo court and Fred Lewis was fined $12 because one day he donned a natty dark suit and had no matching belt, so he wore his black uniform game belt instead.

Lewis better keep his wallet handy because of the way he finished running out a triple Thursday night. He could not decide between sliding and standing, so he belly-flopped. Cardinals third baseman Troy Glaus told Lewis he would have to pay for the slide, and Lewis said, "I know. It looked stupid. I'm already in the (fine) box."

Could the Giants actually be having ... fun? A winning team has fun, and this week, that is what the Giants are. After the outside world declared them dead on the season's arrival, and following a 1-6 start, they now have a three-game win streak after beating St. Louis 5-1.

"A lot of us felt from the beginning of spring training, once we got on a roll, we were going to have a little more fun," closer Brian Wilson said, after recording his second save. "With that comes a better attitude and a better caliber of baseball. We hope to keep rolling with that."

The winning streak coincides with a great run of pitching. The Giants took a 19-inning scoreless streak into the ninth, when Brad Hennessey allowed a run. In the three victories, starters Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez and Kevin Correia together have surrendered one run over 192/3 innings.

Correia took a three-hit shutout against the Cardinals into the eighth inning, when his left arm cramped so badly his hand balled into a fist and he momentarily could not extend his fingers and put his glove back on. Manager Bruce Bochy, pitching coach Dave Righetti and the medical staff visited the mound, but left Correia in the game long enough to allow two more hits.

Jack Taschner then got a huge out, retiring Ryan Ludwick on a flyball to strand the runners with Albert Pujols looming on deck as the possible tying run.

Correia set a tone in the first inning when he caught Pujols looking at a 3-2 fastball right after Pujols hit a long foul down the left-field line and a Cardinals fan reached over Lewis' glove and snatched the ball.

Even though the Giants had a relatively potent game at the plate and scored a season-high five runs, they understand their recipe for fun will be pitching, particularly the rotation.

"There's no reason we can't be one of the best staffs in baseball," Correia said. "All of the guys could be No. 1 starters, or have been."

Does that include Correia?

"Hopefully, I can work into that," he said, "but I wouldn't say I'm there yet."

Correia had a rare advantage among his colleagues. He got to pitch with a lead, largely provided by Lewis. Batting leadoff, the 27-year-old left-handed hitter doubled against Adam Wainwright to start the first inning and scored on Aaron Rowand's single. In the third, after his triple and indelicate slide, Lewis scored on Randy Winn's sacrifice fly.

The Giants proved Thursday that if they pitch, they can win without the long ball as long as they occasionally find the gaps and alleys. They did so in the seventh, doubling their lead to 4-0 on successive doubles by Ray Durham and Jose Castillo and an RBI single by Rich Aurilia. Bengie Molina singled home the Giants' final run in the eighth.

The Giants also played solid defense, particularly shortstop Brian Bocock. Lewis made another nice play in left field, too, catching up to a searing liner by Pujols in the sixth that started to sail on him.

Lewis will be the primary left fielder now that Dave Roberts will have surgery on his left knee Saturday and probably miss at least two months. The only question for Bochy is where to hit him. Lewis has batted in the middle of the lineup when Eugenio Velez starts, but first when Velez sits. Bochy said he believes he can stick Lewis almost anywhere.

"This guy has got a ton of talent," Bochy said. "He's got discipline at the plate, power, speed. He's got all the tools to be a really good major-leaguer."

If Lewis knew how to pack accessories for a road trip, he also would have 12 more bucks in his pocket.

Travis Buck suddenly a doubles machine as the A's sweep the Blue Jays in Toronto D5

Stingy starters

The Giants' starting pitchers have a combined 0.46 ERA during the team's three-game winning streak:

Starter	IP	H	ER	SO-BB
Lincecum	6.0	7	1	7-1
Sanchez	6.0	3	0	10-2
Correia	7.2	5	0	4-2
Totals	19.2	15	1	21-5

Double Your Pleasure...GIANTS beat Pads 1-0!

Sanchez, Lewis, Ortmeier star...Giants win two in a row!

Mike Lovell - Talkin' Giants Baseball

The Giants delivered the second consecutive walk off victory by defeating the San Diego Padres 1-0 when Daniel Ortmeier delivered a bottom of the ninth, two out double scoring Rajai Davis from second.

This victory was very well played by the Giants. Fred Lewis made a remarkable catch in left and coupled it with a dart to nail Jim Edmonds at home to keep the Giants in the game. This was the play of the game.

Jonathan Sanchez pitch brilliantly tonight. Sanchez shut down San Diego's offense striking out a career high ten batters.

Great victory by the Giants. Hopefully, for all Giant fans is the start of something good.

Benjie, Bengie...Twice is Nice! Giants 3, Pads 2

Second of Molina's two home runs gives the Giants a 3-2 win over Padres

Associated Press

Bengie Molina could get used to hitting game-winning home runs.

"To see those guys waiting for you at home is just amazing," Molina said after hitting his second homer of the night with one out in the 11th inning off Cla Meredith to give the San Francisco Giants a 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday. "When I got to first, I wanted to turn around and go back home. It was great."

Brad Hennessey (1-0) threw two shutout innings as the Giants snapped a four-game skid.

"Brad saved us," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "We were down to one pitcher and one player. Bengie, he's so clutch. He's the guy you want up there when you need a big hit."

Brian Giles had four hits and drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth for the Padres.

Brian Wilson blew the save opportunity after walking Josh Bard to open the inning and giving up a hit to pinch-hitter Tony Clark ahead of Giles' flyball to left.

Meredith (0-1) struck out Aaron Rowand to start the 11th, but Molina hit a 1-2 pitch over the left-field wall for his first homer in extra innings. Molina pumped his fist over his head as he ran toward first base.

"I was just looking for something middle in," Molina said. "I got it and I didn't want to miss it. I try to concentrate on defense and calling a great game. That's my game. When it comes to hitting I don't think about it. Maybe that's when I can hit it."

Meredith said if he made a better pitch, he would have gotten Molina.

"It wasn't an absolutely bad pitch but I picked a bad time to let a slider fall out on me," Meredith said. "I think he had made up his mind to swing and I had him right where I wanted him."

Giants starter Tim Lincecum allowed a run and seven hits over six innings, with a walk and seven strikeouts.

"It was a little nerve-racking but close games always are," Lincecum said.

Padres starter Randy Wolf pitched effectively for six innings, giving up two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out four.

Molina led off the second inning with his second home run of the season, a drive into the left-field bleachers.

"I made a couple of mistakes and obviously one of them was right down the heart to Molina," Wolf said.

Wolf walked Brian Bocock on four pitches to start the third. Lincecum sacrificed him to second and Randy Winn followed with an RBI double to make it 2-0.

Lincecum loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth. He gave up singles to Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff, and hit Jim Edmonds. Khalil Greene then hit a flyball to left field that appeared to be catchable, but went off Daniel Ortmeier's glove. Gonzalez scored on the play, but Kouzmanoff was forced at third.

Lincecum then struck out Scott Hairston and got Bard to fly out to limit the damage.

"I just tried to settle down from there and managed to get out of it," Lincecum said. "I forgot a lot about that inning, it was hectic."

Notes: Padres C Michael Barrett went on the disabled list with a strained ligament in his right elbow. ... Giants OF Dave Roberts went on the DL with left knee inflammation and may undergo minor surgery. ... Giants OF Clay Timpner made his major league debut as a defensive replacement. ... Padres INF Callix Crabbe singled in the 10th for his first major league hit. ... Hairston was ejected for the second time in his career and the first since 2004. ... Former Giants LHP Steve Kline cleared waivers and became a free agent. ... Giants RHP Vinnie Chulk (right shoulder strain) threw a simulated game.

GIANTS beaten by San Diego 8-4

Giants stymied by veteran Maddux
Molina collects three RBIs, but San Francisco can't come back

The Giants endured the fate that usually befalls them when they face Greg Maddux, collecting only three hits in seven innings off the future Hall of Famer in an 8-4 loss to the San Diego Padres on Monday.

Maddux (1-0) subdued the sellout crowd at the Giants' home opener by notching his 348th career victory and improving to 29-14 lifetime against San Francisco. Since the Giants last defeated Maddux on May 9, 2003, he's 6-0 with a 2.67 ERA in 10 starts against them.

Giants starter Matt Cain (0-1) was not nearly as effective as Maddux, allowing five runs (four earned) and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Adrian Gonzalez's two-run homer in the first inning began Cain's trouble, although the Giants scored in their half of the inning -- the first run they have tallied before the fifth inning this season -- on Aaron Rowand's two-out double and Bengie Molina's RBI single.

The Padres essentially settled matters with a three-run third. Consecutive singles by Tadahito Iguchi, Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Jim Edmonds generated one run, Khalil Greene added a sacrifice fly and third baseman Jose Castillo's error on Scott Hairston's grounder accounted for the inning's final run.

Gonzalez singled and Greene lined a two-out triple to widen San Diego's lead in the seventh. The Giants made things interesting in the ninth when Eugenio Velez's leadoff triple sparked a rally highlighted by Molina's two-run double.

Comment: Oh, the misery! This Giants team looks very, very bad. The weekend series against Milwaukee was a grim prelude to the rest of the season. Giants management asks for patience. This is a team that could lose 125 games. Can it get any worse. The Giants are paying dearly for playing off their minor league system by not drafting any high level position players and giving up draft picks in the process of trying to bench strength around Barry Bonds.

GIANTS Home Opener - 50 Years in San Francisco

An instant love affair

Glenn Dickey - San Francisco Examiner

The news that the Giants and Dodgers would move to the West Coast for the 1958 season created shock waves in the baseball world. In San Francisco, residents were ecstatic.

Baseball was king in 1958. In the eyes of San Franciscans, getting the Giants made the city truly major league.

For two years, Mayor George Christopher had worked hard to convince Giants owner Horace Stoneham to move his team to San Francisco (Stoneham’s first choice was Minneapolis), often flying to New York for secret meetings. He had an ally in Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley, who was ready to move his team to Los Angeles and wanted to keep his team’s natural rival close.

So, the deal was done. Baseball and San Francisco were forever changed.

The Giants were a team on the rise. They had the game’s biggest star, Willie Mays. Orlando Cepeda was a rookie in 1958, Willie McCovey would arrive in 1959, Juan Marichal in 1960.

The Giants had a very productive farm system, with Carl Hubbell in nominal charge but Jack Schwarz doing most of the work. Outfielders were especially abundant — the Alou brothers, Willie Kirkland, Jackie Brandt, Leon Wagner, Ollie Brown, among others — so many that the Giants often traded them.

“We supplied the whole National League with outfielders,” Bill Rigney would say later.

The City was in love with the Giants. People walked down the street with plugs from transistor radios in their ears, listening to the games. Performances of the opera were interrupted by cheers from an audience also listening to the games. Fans at a 49ers game erupted in loud cheers for no visible reason — turned out they had just heard the news that the Giants had forced a playoff for the pennant in 1962.

It was a tremendously exciting and talented team. Mays was the most exciting player, though it took San Franciscans some time to warm up to him. He could do it all, hitting, fielding and, especially, baserunning. He once scored when a pitch bounced off the glove of New York Mets catcher Choo Choo Coleman, perhaps six feet away.

“I could see from the angle of the pitch that it would be in the dirt, so I just started running,” Mays explained to me years later. True baseball genius.

The peak of excitement in San Francisco came in 1962, when the Giants made the World Series by winning the third game of the playoff in Los Angeles. Their plane was mobbed at the airport. In downtown San Francisco, vehicular traffic was totally blocked as fans swarmed around the Powell and Market intersection in a frenzy. Those who had been around 17 years earlier compared it to the V-J Day celebration.

The Giants lost in seven games in the World Series to the New York Yankees and neither interest nor performance quite reached that level again. As talented as that team was, it couldn’t win another pennant in the ’60s. Baseball was descending, while the NFL was rising to No. 1. The A’s arrival in 1968 split the market. Subsequently, the Giants were nearly moved to Toronto after the ’76 season and to St. Petersburg, Fla., after the ’92 season before local owners stepped in.

There have been glory periods since. The “Humm Baby” Giants of Roger Craig and Al Rosen made it to the World Series in ’89. The Dusty Baker-Barry Bonds pairing came this close to winning the Series in 2002.

But for those of us who have been around from the beginning, nothing will ever match the excitement of when the Giants moved to San Francisco.