Phillies Bullpen Suffers Meltdown

Andres Galarraga has been more than an unlikely offensive powerhouse in his short time with the San Francisco Giants.

He`s been an incredibly lucky charm as well.

"I just came here to help these guys stay in the race with my bat and my glove," Galarraga said. "I didn`t expect anything like this."

Galarraga`s teammates and his manager have nothing but praise for the 40-year-old cancer survivor, who spent the season struggling in Texas before his remarkable rejuvenation in San Francisco.

The Giants started their winning streak on the same day Galarraga first suited up in Colorado. He has hit .316 with two homers and 14 RBI in nine games at first base for the Giants, who have surged into the thick of the postseason race with Galarraga leading the way.

"For a guy like that who`s done what he`s done physically, this is nothing. It`s a game," shortstop Rich Aurilia said. "It`s great to know that he seems to be having fun here. It`s nice to have a guy who wants to be here."

With yet another victory, the Giants (61-49) caught the Dodgers in the NL West standings and stayed a half-game behind Arizona, which moved back into first place with Los Angeles` loss to the Cubs.

"It`s amazing. I don`t want to see the day yet when we lose," Galarraga said. "I`m sure we probably have to lose one game, but I don`t want to think about it."

With one out in the ninth, Rheal Cormier (5-6) hit Barry Bonds with a pitch on his heavily padded right elbow. After Turk Wendell struck out Jeff Kent, Galarraga hit Wendell`s 2-1 pitch well over 400 feet to center.

"I tried to throw it hard, and it was more like a backup slider: It backed up into his bat," said Wendell, acquired from the Mets last week. "I`m in a bad streak, but I`ve gone through bad streaks before. Good hitters hit balls like that."

The Phillies, trying to catch Atlanta in the NL East, lost on a game-ending home run for the fourth time in a week. It was Philadelphia`s fifth loss in seven games.

"When he first hit it, I didn`t think it was a home run, but it just kept going," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said. "We`re just in one of those ruts right now."

Felix Rodriguez (6-1) got two outs in the ninth for the victory.

Aurilia hit a two-run homer for the Giants, who extended their longest winning streak since last September, when they also won nine straight. San Francisco hasn`t won more than nine straight in over three years.

Russ Ortiz allowed six hits over eight strong innings for the Giants. He had a 2-1 lead in the eighth, but speedy Phillies rookie Jimmy Rollins scored from first base on Marlon Anderson`s long two-out single to left-center. Fog swirled around the outfield light standards at Pacific Bell Park on a chilly night in which batted balls seemed to sink under the air`s weight. Ortiz and Omar Daal, who held the Giants to four hits and two runs over seven innings, used the conditions to keep the game scoreless until the sixth.

After Shawon Dunston got a two-out single, Aurilia hit Daal`s first pitch into the left field bleachers. Aurilia`s homer -- his 10th since the break -- was his 22nd of the season, tying the career high he set in 1999.

Bobby Abreu led off the seventh with his 23rd homer, but Dunston preserved the lead moments later by leaping at the wall to rob Pat Burrell of an extra-base hit with a spectacular catch.

But Dunston sprained his right ankle when he jammed his foot into the wall. X-rays were negative, and Dunston is day-to-day.

Bonds, leading the majors with 46 homers, went 0-for-2 with a walk, snapping his eight-game hitting streak.

Game notes:
LHP Jason Christiansen, acquired by the Giants from St. Louis on Tuesday, made his San Francisco debut, getting one out in the ninth. ... Later in the ninth, Benito Santiago threw out Abreu from his knees as Abreu tried to steal second. ... In the fifth, Daal was hit on the wrist of his glove arm as he tried to field Galarraga`s comebacker. He shook it off, and moments later, Daal fielded Eric Davis` comebacker to start a double play. Afterward, Daal had X-rays on the hand, but they were negative. ... At 28, Ramon Martinez was the youngest position player in the Giants` starting lineup. The 29-year-old Aurilia was the only other starter under 33.

(Copyright 2001 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved)

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Author: 6 ABC - Action News