Thursday, June 16, 2005

Giants Win First Series in Weeks

Giants pelt Twins with seven-run ninthVizquel goes 5-for-6 with four RBIs in 18-hit gameBy Rich Draper / MLB.com

MINNEAPOLIS -- San Francisco erupted for seven runs in the ninth inning to score a 14-7 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night at the Metrodome. Losing pitcher Joe Nathan (1-3) walked Moises Alou and Ray Durham to start the frame, then Pedro Feliz cracked a two-RBI single past diving shortstop Luis Rodriguez for the game-winning blow.

Omar Vizquel went 5-for-6 with four RBIs, while three hits by San Francisco catcher Yorvit Torrealba tied a career high. Feliz drove in three runs with three hits.

The Giants, who had a season-high 18 hits, won consecutive games for the first time since mid-May, and broke a five-series losing streak.

San Francisco was in trouble right away as the Twins roughed up pitcher Brett Tomko for four runs on six hits in the first inning, thanks to Joe Mauer's two-run homer and Justin Morneau's two-RBI single.

But San Francisco chipped back with a run in the second, then scored three runs in the third off Twins starter Joe Mays to tie it at 4. An error by left fielder Shannon Stewart kept the runs unearned.

The Giants weren't through. Vizquel slammed an RBI triple, then scored on rookie Adam Shabala's infield grounder in the fourth. Shabala also had a sac fly in his Major League debut.
Lew Ford's three-run homer in the fifth put the Twins into a temporary 7-6 lead until the eighth, when the Giants tied it on Vizquel's RBI.

No comments: