Bonds homers twice in win
04/13/2007 11:50 PM ET
Bonds homers twice in win
Slugger now has 737 homers; Ortiz breaks personal skid
By Chris Haft / MLB.com
Barry Bonds collected three hits, including two homers, despite playing just
four innings. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)
PITTSBURGH -- Ultimately, Barry Bonds dominated the landscape -- which on this
Friday night should have been a frozen tundra -- in the Giants' 8-5 victory
over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
But on many nights, the glory would have belonged exclusively to Russ Ortiz,
who reached a milestone in his pitching renaissance by winning his first game
since 2005.
Returning to the city where he began his Major League career 21 years ago,
Bonds delivered a dynamic performance before a PNC Park crowd that booed him
fiercely. He homered twice, boosting his career total to 737, in a 3-for-3,
four-RBI effort. Bonds went deep off Pirates starter Zach Duke in the second
inning before victimizing Shawn Chacon in the fourth for his 70th career
multi-homer game.
Asked about reaching the 3,000-hit plateau before the game, Bonds said, "I
just want to get three more hits, let alone 3,000." He accomplished that
modest goal, besides reducing the gap separating him and all-time home run
leader Hank Aaron to 18.
From a personal perspective, Ortiz did much more. He had lost his last 12
decisions, spanning 16 starts and 31 appearances, dating back to Aug. 29, 2005
. The right-hander had recorded an ugly 7.78 ERA in that stretch, as both
Arizona and Baltimore cast him aside.
But that Ortiz has been replaced by, in a sense, the old Ortiz -- the one who
won 99 games between 1999 and 2004. Regaining the pitching mechanics he used
in that period, the old/new Ortiz ended his winless streak and came one out
short of notching his first complete game since Sept. 4, 2004, at Montreal.
"It allows me to move on," said Ortiz (1-1). "I didn't realize how long it was
until people reminded me. One thing I learned from the last year and a half
was to make pitches and not worry about results and everything will be fine."
Ortiz had to share the glory with the offense, which suddenly flourished after
nine mostly barren games. The Giants, who ranked last in the National League
in scoring, home runs, slugging percentage and on-base percentage, scored
seven runs in the first two innings off the left-handed Duke, more than they
had amassed in any of their previous nine games.
"Tonight we played offensively the way we feel like we're capable of playing
every day," first baseman Rich Aurilia said. "Now we just have to concentrate
on doing this two days in a row."
Bonds launched a five-run, first-inning uprising off Duke (1-1) with an RBI
single. And it ended with Ortiz driving a bases-loaded, two-run double into
the left-field corner on a 3-1 fastball from Duke.
"I told myself, don't try to do too much," Ortiz said. "He got behind on me
and I was able to relax and I just reacted."
Ortiz also relaxed on the mound after surrendering a pair of first-inning runs
. He permitted five hits while blanking Pittsburgh from the second through the
eighth, allowing just one runner to reach scoring position.
Sensing that he was too predictable in the first inning, Ortiz simply altered
his pattern thereafter.
"That was the difference -- mixing up speeds and locations and not letting
them sit on one spot," he said.
Ortiz nearly finished with a flourish in the ninth, but he surrendered singles
to Ronny Paulino with one out and Nate McLouth with two out. Manager Bruce
Bochy visited Ortiz and left him in the game, reasoning that McLouth's hit was
a seeing-eye grounder. The next batter, Chris Duffy, produced anything but
that, clobbering a three-run homer. Vinnie Chulk relieved Ortiz and retired
Jack Wilson on a popup for the final out.
Ortiz wanted to finish what he started, but he wasn't obsessed with doing so.
"It stings a little bit," he said, adding, "At this point, I can't be too
picky with wins."
Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the
approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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