4 homers help Lackey to win

[June 16, 2009]  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Erick Aybar and Bobby Abreu hit back-to-back homers, John Lackey ended a four-start winless stretch and the Los Angeles Angels beat the San Francisco Giants 9-7 on Monday night for their fourth straight victory.

Aybar hit a two-run homer before Abreu connected in the Angels' seven-run fourth. Robb Quinlan singled in two runs, Mike Napoli added an RBI double and Lackey even singled in a run for his first major league hit and RBI.

Juan Rivera and Sean Rodriguez also went deep for Los Angeles.

Pablo Sandoval hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth to go with an earlier solo shot, his first career multihomer game. Brian Fuentes then entered and got pinch-hitter Rich Aurilia on a flyout for his 17th save in 20 chances.

The teams combined for seven homers and 31 hits.

Lackey (2-2) struck out a season-high 10 and won for the first time since May 18 against Seattle. He was coming off a 9-5 loss at Tampa Bay last Wednesday in which he was tagged for a season-high nine runs and 11 hits.

The Angels, who had lost four of five in San Francisco, have 13 home runs in their last four games and improved to 6-1 in interleague play.

Lackey was booed when he was announced before the game. He was the Game 7 starter for the wild-card Angels when they beat the Giants in the 2002 World Series for the franchise's first championship.

Angels center fielder Torii Hunter left after bruising his ribs when he crashed into the wall trying to catch a double by Bengie Molina in the fourth inning. X-rays on his right rib cage were normal.

He was to be re-evaluated Tuesday to determine when he could play again.

Before the injury, Hunter extended his hitting streak to nine games with a fourth-inning single. He hit three home runs Saturday against San Diego.

Pinch-hitter Andres Torres splashed a two-run homer into McCovey Cove in the seventh for San Francisco, the 48th time a Giant has reached the water. Two kayakers paddled to try to grab the souvenir ball. In all, there have been 66 splash-hit homers in the team's 10-year-old waterfront ballpark.

It was the first pinch-hit homer of Torres' career and the first by a Giant in 2009.

Barry Zito (3-7) was done after 3 2-3 innings for his shortest outing of the season as the Giants had their three-game winning streak snapped on the heels of their first home sweep of the Oakland Athletics since 2001. Zito, who had won his previous two starts, allowed a season-high seven runs and matched his most hits with 10.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia recalled entering the Giants' waterfront ballpark through the wrong gate and being "pelted by stale sourdough" while riding a golf cart around the warning track to the other side.

"It's special," he said. "It brings you back to that series. It was a terrific series."

The Giants' Molina won a ring with the Angels.

Notes: Lackey was 0-for-26 lifetime before his hit. ... Zito hasn't beaten the Angels in four starts since May 1, 2006. He is 1-4 over his last eight against Los Angeles. ... San Francisco INF Juan Uribe sat out his second straight game nursing an injured hamstring. ... For the second straight year, the Giants hosted a steroids awareness clinic. Some 40 high school baseball players participated Monday, learning about the harmful effects of performance-enhancing drugs and also going through agility drills with San Francisco's athletic training staff. ... Home run king and ex-Giants slugger Barry Bonds hit 35 of the splash-hit homers at the ballpark.

[Associated Press; By JANIE McCAULEY]

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