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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Marvin Benard didn't care about answering
his critics, he just wanted to impress his teammates.
Benard homered leading off the ninth inning and Jeff Kent
connected twice Sunday, leading the San Francisco Giants over the
Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5.
Benard was hitting a season low .217 on May 28. But after
hitting a two-ball, two-strike pitch from Mike Fetters (3-1) into the right-field
bleachers for his sixth homer of the season, he's at a season-high
.273.
|  | | Marvin Benard is hoisted up by his Giants teammates and carried off the field following his game-winning home run. |
While he was slumping he heard the boos, and at one point
refused to talk to the media.
"I don't care what people think," Benard said. "I care what
my teammates and manager thinks, and they're all behind me."
Kent, who has a league-leading 80 RBI, refused to talk about
his homers. He wanted to talk about Benard.
"That was awesome, just outstanding," Kent said. "Marvin has
some pop. That was a huge at-bat, a beautiful swing."
Giants manager Dusty Baker said Benard never had to worry about
coming out of the lineup during his early-season troubles.
"We know Marvin can hit no matter what anybody says," he said.
"Marvin knows he can hit. That was huge."
The Dodgers tied the game in the eighth. With one out, F.P.
Santangelo walked and advanced to third on Mark Grudzielanek's
single. After Gary Sheffield's RBI single, Robb Nen (2-3) replaced
Felix Rodriguez and threw a wild pitch, allowing Grudzielanek to
score the tying run.
Nen (2-3) blew a save for the fifth time in 18 chances but won
when the Giants rallied in the ninth.
"If I had to do it over again I would throw the same pitch,"
said Fetters, who has allowed just three hits in 31 at-bats to
left-handed hitters. "It was a forkball a little down and I guess
the guy was geared for it. It was a decent pitch, but he got me."
The Giants won their second straight over the Dodgers after an
0-4 start this year against their longtime rivals.
"They walked all over us at the beginning of the season," Kent
said. "I was wondering when we'd beat these guys."
Kent homered off Eric Gagne with two outs in the fifth, and off
Antonio Osuna with two outs in the seventh. He increased his season
total to 23 with his 11th career multihomer game, including two
this year.
Giants starter Shawn Estes allowed one run, seven hits and four
walks in five innings. Estes allowed at least two runners in each
inning, walking the bases loaded in the third with one out. But he
struck out Todd Hundley and retired Kevin Elster on a flyout.
Eric Karros singled and Adrian Beltre walked leading off the
fifth, but Estes again pitched his way of trouble with two
strikeouts.
"We kept setting the table, but we just didn't break it open,"
Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said.
Gagne allowed four runs -- three earned -- six hits and three
walks in five innings.
San Francisco went ahead in the first when Benard singled, stole
second, continued to third on Hundley's throwing error and scored
on Bill Mueller's sacrifice fly.
Grudzielanek had a game-tying RBI groundout in the fourth, but
the Giants took a 3-1 lead in the bottom half on Armando Rios'
sacrifice fly and Rich Aurilia's run-scoring single.
Los Angeles closed to 4-3 in the seventh on a run-scoring error
by catcher Bobby Estalella and pinch-hitter Dave Hansen's RBI
single.
Game
notes
Giants OF Barry Bonds was held out of the starting lineup
with a deep bone bruise in his right thumb, but was available for
pinch-hitting. ... Dodgers OF Shawn Green was not in the starting
lineup Sunday for the first time this season. He pinch-hit in the
seventh and struck out, extending his slump to 3-for-34 (.088). ...
Kent has the most RBIs for the Giants in the first half since Kevin
Mitchell drove in 81 in 1989. ... Dodgers RHP Terry Adams, bothered
by soreness in his right shoulder, hasn't appeared in a game since
June 28 against San Diego. ... Dodgers RHP Gregg Olson pitched a
scoreless inning with two strikeouts in a rehab appearance for
Class A San Bernardino on Sunday night. ... Sheffield, who went
3-for-4 Sunday, finished the series 6-for-11 (.545).
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Baseball Scoreboard
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