Giants activate Shawn Estes
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The San Francisco Giants activated
left-handed pitcher Shawn Estes from the disabled list Sunday
night and optioned right-hander Scott Linebrink to Triple-A
Fresno. Estes has been sidelined since spring training by left
shoulder tendinitis. He made two rehabilitation starts in the
minors. Linebrink pitched one inning for the Giants this season,
allowing two hits.
April 15, 2000
Arizona Diamondbacks 7, San Francisco Giants 4
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Kelly Stinnett hit two homers, including a three-run shot caught by a fan just as Barry Bonds was about to try for a leaping grab, and the Arizona Diamondbacks sent San Francisco to its seventh straight loss, 7-4 Saturday. The Giants fell to 0-5 at new Pacific Bell Park. Their overall skid is the worst since they lost seven in a row in July 1996. Todd Stottlemyre (3-0) lasted five innings to win his third straight start. Greg Swindell pitched three perfect innings for his first save. Bonds hit his fifth home run of the season, and 450th of his career, to give the Giants a 1-0 lead in the first. Stinnett tied it for Arizona in the third with a home run off Russ Ortiz (1-2).
April 14, 2000
Arizona Diamondbacks 3, San Francisco Giants 1
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Randy Johnson struck out 11 and Damian Miller lined a two-out, two-run double in the ninth inning to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks over San Francisco 3-1 Friday night, the Giants' sixth straight loss. The six-game skid is San Francisco's longest since September 1996. Johnson (3-0) allowed five hits without a walk in his second complete game. Erubiel Durazo hit a leadoff single in the ninth against Livan Hernandez (0-3) and pinch-runner Hanley Frias moved up on a sacrifice bunt. Travis Lee reached on an infield single. After Frias was thrown out at the plate on Lenny Harris' grounder back to the mound, Miller doubled. Lee put the Diamondbacks up 1-0 with his third home run of the season in the second. Hernandez walked two and struck out five in a complete-game loss.
April 13, 2000
Los Angeles Dodgers 11, San Francisco Giants 7
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Shawn Green had three hits, including his first home run for Los Angeles as the Dodgers beat San Francisco 11-7 Thursday night to complete a sweep of the Giants' inaugural home series at Pacific Bell Park. The three-game sweep was Los Angeles' first in San Francisco since April 1981. Earlier Thursday, the Dodgers beat the Giants 6-5 in the completion of a game suspended from the previous night by rain. Carlos Perez (1-1) recovered from a poor first outing and pitched six strong innings for the victory. He gave up three runs and six hits, struck out three and walked one as the Dodgers won their fourth straight. Jeff Shaw got the final two outs in the ninth for his fourth save, and second of the day. Mark Gardner (1-1) was charged with the Giants' fifth straight loss.
Los Angeles Dodgers 6, San Francisco Giants 5 (Suspended Game)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - It took nearly 24 hours to complete, but the Los Angeles Dodgers continued to ruin the San Francisco Giants' housewarming party. The Dodgers beat the Giants 6-5 Thursday night at Pacific Bell Park in the completion of a game suspended from the previous night. Terry Adams (1-0) threw 1 2/3 innings of one-hit relief to earn the victory. Adrian Beltre drove in two runs and the Dodgers scored three times in the seventh inning off Ben Weber (0-1) to erase a one-run deficit and win their third straight, including both games at Pac Bell Park -- the Giants' new home. Rich Aurilia homered and drove in three runs for the Giants, who lost their fourth straight. Jeff Shaw pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.
PacBell winds: Worse than Candlestick?
DAVIS, Calif. (AP) - This time, San Francisco's new baseball park
won't be famous for howling winds and freezing fans. For that,
credit UC-Davis professor Bruce White, who learned from a
4-inch-tall model of the San Francisco neighborhood where Pacific
Bell Park is located that without a change in direction it would
be as uncomfortable as Candlestick Park. The professor of
mechanical and aeronautical engineering used his tiny model to
determine that winds in the new park would again be a discomfort
to fans and an impediment to players. At Candlestick, which
completed its 40-year run last year as 3Com Park, a pitcher once
was blown off the mound. Nobody wanted that to happen again, so
the stadium was rotated 90 degrees. "There's strong northwesterly
winds that would catch the top of the stands, creating a large
vortex," said White, who was consulted for the project.
April 12, 2000
Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants, Suspended
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The swirling winds may have been left behind at Candlestick Park, but there's no stopping the rain. The first night game at Pacific Bell Park was interrupted by a downpour Wednesday night, and it was suspended in the sixth inning with the Los Angeles Dodgers leading the San Francisco Giants, 3-2. The teams will complete the game from the point it was stopped on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. PT. The Dodgers and Giants are scheduled to play Thursday night at 7:35 p.m., or 30 minutes following the completion of the suspended game. The Giants were coming to bat in the bottom half of the sixth inning when it began to rain heavily, sending the sellout crowd scrambling. Play was halted and a tarp was rolled out to cover the infield, heralding the first weather delay at Pac Bell Park a day after its grand opening. It was suspended after a delay of 1:38.
April 11, 2000
Los Angeles Dodgers 6, San Francisco Giants 5
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Kevin Elster made a splash in the opener of Pacific Bell Park, and he didn't even put the ball in the drink. Elster homered three times to overcome one each by Barry Bonds, J.T. Snow and Doug Mirabelli and lead the Los Angeles Dodgers over the San Francisco Giants 6-5 Tuesday. Elster, who was out of baseball last year and made the Dodgers as a non-roster player, had the first homer in the cozy park, a third-inning drive off Kirk Rueter (0-1) that tied it at 1. He hit a two-run shot in a three-run fifth and added a solo homer in the eighth off Felix Rodriguez, finishing 3-for-3 with four RBIs in the first three-homer game of his career. Chan Ho Park (2-0) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings.
Fashion statement for Pac Bell opener: shorts, T-shirts
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Balls splashing into San Francisco Bay. A
26-foot-tall mitt in left field. Yet the strangest sight at
Tuesday's debut of Pacific Bell Park was Giants fans in shorts
and T-shirts instead of parkas and mittens. There wasn't an
earmuff to be found when the Giants opened their $319 million
ballpark with a 6-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The
temperature at game time, following an hour-long ceremony with
fireworks and jet flyovers, was 65 degrees. "I'm skipping school
to be here. My dad said it was OK," 12-year-old Stephen Mason
said. "This is better than Candlestick because it's not as windy.
I didn't like night games there." A few miles down the bay at
windswept Candlestick Park, now relegated to the NFL's San
Francisco 49ers, fans and players dreaded the cold winds that
swirled through the stadium on summer nights.
April 10, 2000
Mays: 'This isn't a condo, it's a ballpark'
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - With its view of San Francisco Bay beyond
the outfield wall, the Giants' new Pacific Bell Park is being
compared to the Sydney Opera House in Australia. "No other team
has the site that we've got. The views from the upper deck are
spectacular," says team owner Peter Magowan, whose $319 million
stadium makes its official debut Tuesday when the Giants play
host to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The park affords many fans a
spectacular glimpse of the San Francisco Bay Bridge and the
Oakland hills in the distance. But one Giant great is much more
interested in what he'll be able to see on the field. "Who cares
about the view? Let's play ball," Willie Mays says. "This isn't a
condo, it's a ballpark." The 40,800-seat park, the first
privately financed major league baseball stadium in 38 years, has
plenty of curiosities for everyone to see.
April 9, 2000
Atlanta Braves 9, San Francisco Giants 3
ATLANTA (AP) - Bobby Bonilla had his first three-RBI game in nearly two years as the Atlanta Braves cruised to a 9-3 win over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. Bonilla hit a solo homer in the fifth inning for a 3-2 lead and added a two-run single in the sixth that chased starter Russ Ortiz. Tom Glavine (1-0) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings, striking out six. Glavine regained control after a 27-pitch third inning in which San Francisco took a 2-1 lead, retiring his final 11 batters. Atlanta broke open the game with a four-run seventh. Keith Lockhart tripled off Felix Rodriguez, Quilvio Veras and Chipper Jones singled in runs and Wally Joyner hit a two-run double. Ortiz (1-1) allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.
April 8, 2000
Atlanta Braves 7, San Francisco Giants 5
ATLANTA (AP) - Andres Galarraga hit a grand slam in the fifth inning to rally the Atlanta Braves to a 7-5 victory Saturday night over the San Francisco Giants. The Braves have won three games in the first week of the season and Galarraga has put them ahead to stay in each with home runs. The Atlanta first baseman hit a 425-foot drive over the center-field fence on the first pitch from Livan Hernandez (0-2), giving him three homers and nine RBIs on the season. Greg Maddux (2-0) allowed four runs and eight hits in seven innings and also tripled during the winning rally. Hernandez gave up six runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. Kerry Ligtenberg pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his second save. San Francisco's Felipe Crespo homered.
April 7, 2000
San Francisco Giants 6, Atlanta Braves 2
ATLANTA (AP) - Barry Bonds hit a two-run homer, one of three home runs off Terry Mulholland, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves 6-2 Friday night. Bonds, who also hit a home run in a 5-4 loss at Florida on Thursday, connected off Mulholland (0-1) in the first inning after a one-out single by Bill Mueller. San Francisco's Bobby Estalella hit a solo homer in the second, and Jeff Kent hit another bases-empty shot in the fourth. The Giants added a run in the fourth on a bases-loaded passed ball by Javy Lopez with two outs. Russ Davis had singled and moved to third on singles by Rich Aurilla and Mark Gardner (1-0). Gardner allowed two runs and 10 hits in seven innings.
April 6, 2000
Florida Marlins 5, San Francisco Giants 4
MIAMI (AP) - Cliff Floyd hit a two-run homer with two out in the ninth inning and the Florida Marlins rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 Thursday before a record-low turnout of just 7,741. Trailing 4-3, the Marlins led off the ninth with a single by Kevin Millar against John Johnstone (1-1). Following a sacrifice and a foul out, Floyd hit the first pitch over the left-field scoreboard for his first homer. For the second time in 24 hours, the Marlins drew the smallest home crowd in the franchise's eight-year history. San Francisco squandered a strong outing by Joe Nathan, who had a career-high nine strikeouts in seven innings. Dan Miceli (1-0) retired one batter in the ninth. Barry Bonds hit a two-run homer for San Francisco.
April 5, 2000
San Francisco Giants 11, Florida Marlins 9
MIAMI (AP) - Rich Aurilia hit a three-run homer with one out in the ninth inning and the San Francisco Giants came from behind twice to beat the Florida Marlins, 11-9, Wednesday night. Trailing 9-7, the Giants started the ninth with singles by Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent and pinch hitter Felipe Crespo to score a run against Antonio Alfonseca (0-1). Following a forceout, Aurilia hit his first homer on the first pitch. The Giants overcame a 5-4 deficit on Kent's three-run homer in the fifth. They blew leads of 3-0, 4-1 and 7-5. John Johnstone (1-0) gave up one run in 1 1-3 innings. Robb Nen pitched a perfect ninth for his second save. Kevin Millar had a two-run homer and an RBI single for the Marlins.
Giants sign Benard to three-year extension
(AP) - Center fielder Marvin Benard, coming off his first full
season as a starter, agreed Wednesday to an $11.1 million,
three-year contract extension through 2003 with the San Francisco
Giants. Benard, 30, batted .290 last year with 36 doubles, 16
home runs, 64 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. "This agreement is the
result of Marvin's emergence as one of the league's top leadoff
men," San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean said. Benard
broke into the major leagues in September 1995 and became a
starter midway through the 1998 season.
April 4, 2000
San Francisco Giants 3, Florida Marlins 0
MIAMI (AP) - A night after totaling 12 hits and six runs in front of a sellout crowd, the Florida Marlins managed just four hits off Russ Ortiz and lost to the San Francisco Giants 3-0 before 9,524 fans on Tuesday night. Ortiz (1-0) pitched eight innings, striking out five and allowing three walks. Ortiz retired the side in order in the sixth and seventh after allowing at least one batter to reach base in each of the first five innings. No one got past second base against him until the eighth. Ryan Dempster (0-1) pitched five innings and allowed three runs on five hits and five walks. He walked four of the first nine hitters, but gave up just one run on Jeff Kent's sacrifice fly in the first. Ellis Burks homered and J.T. Snow added a sac fly.
Tigers, Giants, Astros lead ticket price increases
(AP) - Fans who go to baseball's three new ballparks this season
will leave with much lighter wallets. The sport's average ticket
price went up 11.8 percent -- the highest markup in a decade --
to $16.67 this year. But that's nothing compared with the
increases in Detroit, San Francisco and Houston. The average at
Comerica Park is $24.83, the fourth-highest in baseball and a 103
percent jump from the $12.23 average at Tiger Stadium last
season, according to the annual survey by the Team Marketing
Report. At Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco, the average of
$21.24, baseball's sixth-highest, is up 75.2 percent from the
$12.12 average last year at 3Comm Park, formerly Candlestick.
Houston's Enron Field is reasonable by these standards. The
average there is $20.01, No. 8 among the 30 major league teams.
That's up 50.4 percent from last year's average of $13.30 at the
Astrodome.
April 3, 2000
Florida Marlins 6, San Francisco Giants 4
MIAMI (AP) - For one night, at least, the Florida Marlins looked a lot better than they did in 1999. Or in 1998. Alex Fernandez outpitched former teammate Livan Hernandez, and the Marlins beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-4, Monday in the season opener for both teams. Fernandez allowed eight hits and three runs in seven innings. He also drove in a run in the sixth, taking a 3-2 pitch to right field for a single and a 5-3 lead. Offseason acquisition Dan Miceli pitched a perfect eighth, and Antonio Alfonseca gave up a homer to Ellis Burks in the ninth in getting a save. Preston Wilson went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for the Marlins, who had 12 hits and won their fourth consecutive opener. Bill Mueller hit a two-run triple for the Giants.