With Bonds in front row, Giants edge Dodgers 5-4

[April 28, 2009]  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- With Barry Bonds watching from a front-row seat, the San Francisco Giants scratched out a pair of eighth-inning runs to rally past the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 on Monday night.

Rich Aurilia drove in the tying run on a dribbler up the first-base line and Edgar Renteria put the Giants ahead when he scored on pinch-hitter Bengie Molina's slow groundout to third.

Not exactly the sort of powerful offense Bonds provided during his 15 seasons with San Francisco. Baseball's home run king was a surprise guest Monday night, his first appearance at AT&T Park this season.

Bonds received a warm welcome and waved to fans when he was introduced to the crowd on Star Trek Movie Night, with costumed Trekkies in abundance among the 31,091 in attendance. He sat between team CEO William Neukom and president Larry Baer next to the Giants' dugout.

Manny Ramirez's RBI single put the Dodgers ahead 4-3 in the seventh, capping a four-run burst that also included Casey Blake's two-run homer off Barry Zito and Orlando Hudson's RBI single.

Renteria, Randy Winn and Pablo Sandoval each drove in a run for the Giants in the first.

Zito took a shutout into the seventh inning but was left with a no-decision. Merkin Valdez (1-0) got the win and Brian Wilson struck out the side in the ninth for his fourth save.

Dodgers starter Randy Wolf pitched six solid innings. He settled down after the first, retiring 16 of his final 18 batters. He allowed six hits and no walks.

Fred Lewis and Renteria opened the bottom of the eighth with singles, putting runners at the corners. After Winn struck out, Aurilia hit a tapper toward first that was fielded by reliever Ronald Belisario (0-2), who tried to tag Aurilia as he was running up the line.

But the ball popped out of Belisario's grasp as he attempted the tag, allowing Lewis to score and Aurilia to reach safely on a failed fielder's choice.

After a wild pitch by Belisario allowed two runners to advance, Renteria scored the go-ahead run on Molina's slow grounder to third.

Zito had his 13-inning scoreless streak snapped in the seventh and he remains winless in his last 10 April starts dating to April 21, 2007. He pitched 6 1-3 innings, allowing three runs and five hits.

Valdez walked Rafael Furcal ahead of RBI singles by Hudson and Ramirez.

The Giants' first-inning rally began when Renteria's fly ball bounced out of Andre Ethier's glove as he collided with fellow outfielder Matt Kemp.

Notes: Dodgers 1B James Loney didn't start because of his career .050 average (1-for-20, six strikeouts) against Zito. ... The Dodgers are 43-39 in San Francisco's new ballpark, the most wins by any visiting NL team. ... Dodgers RHP Hiroki Kuroda (strained muscle on left side) received a shot before the game and will begin throwing this weekend. ... The Giants recalled RHP Osiris Matos from Triple-A Fresno and optioned INF Eugenio Velez to their top farm club.

[Associated Press]

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