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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Livan Hernandez liked his first shutout so
much, he did it again.
Hernandez, who had never thrown a shutout in 104 major league
starts before last week, pitched his second straight four-hitter,
leading the San Francisco Giants over the Florida Marlins 5-0
Wednesday.
|  | | Livan Hernandez had never thrown a shutout in 104 major league starts before last week. |
"This is the best time in my career," said Hernandez, the 1997
World Series MVP. "I'd never thrown a shutout before, but after
the first one, it made me more comfortable today. Sometimes, I can
throw good."
Hernandez (13-9) is 13-5 with a 3.25 ERA since an 0-4 start and
has allowed three runs in his last 34 innings. He struck out five
and walked three in his fourth complete game of the season,
stretching his shutout string to 18 innings.
"He makes my job so much easier, and it makes it fun to set up
hitters," said Giants' catcher Bobby Estalella, who has caught all
of Hernandez's starts this year. "We didn't stay in any set
pattern with anybody. We seem to be in the same tempo. When he gets
the ball, he wants to go."
Before beating Atlanta 2-0 last Friday, Hernandez had taken
shutouts into the eighth inning five times this season and had
taken three into the ninth.
"He wasn't messing around with us," Florida's Mark Redmond
said. "He's not trying to trick hitters any more, he's pitching."
The previous Giants pitcher to throw consecutive shutouts was
Bud Black on May 5 and 10, 1991, both against Dwight Gooden and the
New York Mets.
"We were never very comfortable against Livan," Marlins
manager John Boles said. "He fooled us all day. He tied us up in
knots with a variety of pitches. His location was pinpoint."
Ellis Burks went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Burks
has hit six of his 20 homers in the last five games, going 9-for-19
with 13 RBI.
Barry Bonds also homered and drove in two runs as the Giants won
for the eighth time in 10 games and improved to 43-20 at home.
"We just want to win; it doesn't matter where," Bonds said.
Chuck Smith (2-5) gave up four runs and six hits in seven
innings as Florida lost for the fourth time in five games.
Burks drove in the Giants' first three runs. Jeff Kent singled
to open the second, stole second and third and came home on Burks'
sacrifice fly. Then Burks homered in the fourth following Kent's
one-out single and a forceout.
"The man is hot," Bonds said. "Don't touch him, you might
burn yourself. He's one of our best players."
Bonds had an RBI single in the fifth and led off the eighth with
his 38th homer, a drive off Manny Aybar.
Florida, which didn't move a runner past second base in the
first seven innings, got Luis Castillo to third with two outs in
the eighth, but Hernandez struck out Preston Wilson.
Wilson has struck out 160 times in 126 games and is on pace to
set a major league season record.
Game notes
Wilson, who went 2-for-4, extended his homerless streak to
a season-high 33 games and 131 at-bats. ... RHP Kurt Ainsworth, who
pitches for the Giants' Double-A team in Shreveport, was picked for
the U.S. Olympic team. ... Florida OF Cliff Floyd is expected to be
activated from the DL on Friday. ... The previous Giants pitcher to
throw consecutive complete games was Mark Leiter, who had three in
a row from Aug. 16-27, 1996. ... The Giants have won 10 and tied
one of their last 11 home series.
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Dusty Baker comments on Livan Hernandez's second straight shutout.
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