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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The searing heat took both teams by
surprise. The Giants managed to deal with it a little better, at
least on the scoreboard.
|  | | Barry Bonds (25) is greeted by teammates after scoring
from second base on a single by Jeff Kent in the first inning against the
Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. Bonds left the game after the play with a strained right groin. |
Barry Bonds doubled and scored before leaving with a groin
injury and Kirk Rueter pitched six strong innings as the Giants
beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-2 Wednesday, completing a three-game
sweep on a broiling day in San Francisco.
"That was a hot one," Cincinnati manager Jack McKeon said.
The temperature soared to 103 degrees, matching San Francisco's
all-time high and marking just the 12th time since 1891 the mercury
hit the century mark in the city. Many fans draped their shirts
over their heads to ward off the heat and the team mascot Lou Seal
used a water gun to spray a cooling mist over people in the crowd.
"It was really kind of a shock," Giants catcher Doug Mirabelli
said. "We haven't had a day like this in a while, if ever. But we
had plenty of water and cold towels. You come into the dugout hot
and cool off. It wasn't too bad."
Losing pitcher Denny Neagle said the last thing he expected was
having to deal with the extraordinary heat in the typically
fog-shrouded city.
"That's the first game I've pitched on a hot, sweltering day in
San Francisco," he said. "That was strange. You sure could feel
it. But my problem the last couple starts has been mechanical. And
it's taken me too long to figure out what I'm doing wrong. That was
the case today. It was tough being down after the first inning."
A team spokesman, meanwhile, said the removal of Bonds from the
game was precautionary and described his status as day-to-day.
Trainer Stane Conte said through a team spokesman that Bonds was
walking well after the game and could be ready to play again as
early as Friday, when the Giants play their next game, against the
Houston Astros.
Bonds, who leads the majors with 25 home runs, doubled off
Neagle in the first inning -- his 1,092nd hit with the Giants, tying
Matt Williams for eighth on San Francisco's career list.
Jeff Kent followed with a double, scoring Bonds, who apparently
was injured in the run for home. Ellis Burks had an RBI double and
Russ Davis added an RBI single to put San Francisco up 3-1.
Armando Rios replaced Bonds in left field in the top of the
second.
Kent finished 3-for-4 with a double, triple and two RBI to
highlight San Francisco's attack, which produced the team's first
three-game home sweep of the Reds since June 1-3, 1998.
"It was surprisingly hot," Kent said. "We're not accustomed
to playing in something like that, but it's not tough to play in
it. It just wears you down. It takes its toll. It really helped to
score early. You get more tired as the game goes on, so it was good
to get the runs early."
Rueter (4-4) allowed one run on five hits, walked two and struck
out one in winning a second straight outing after a stretch of
seven winless starts.
Felix Rodriguez got the last four outs for his first save with
the Giants.
Neagle (5-2) went six innings and allowed five runs on 10 hits.
He struck out two and walked one in the Reds' eighth loss in nine
games.
Kent's run-scoring triple in the fifth gave San Francisco a 4-1
lead and Calvin Murray added an RBI single in the sixth and a
run-scoring double in the eighth.
Barry Larkin snapped an 0-for-12 string with a homer off John
Johnstone in the eighth, and Dmitri Young had an RBI single in the
first for the Reds.
Notes: The only other time the temperature reached 103 in San
Francisco was July 17, 1988. ... After the game, the Reds optioned
infielder D.T. Cromer to Triple-A Louisville and recalled infielder
Alex Ochoa from Louisville. ... Third baseman Aaron Boone has some
swelling around his eyes near the bridge of his nose, which was
cracked when he was struck in the face Tuesday night by a fastball
from San Francisco pitcher Russ Ortiz. Boone was listed as
day-to-day, though Reds officials said he was available to play in
an emergency and could be back in the lineup in a couple days. ...
San Francisco manager Dusty Baker turns 51 on Thursday. ... Kent's
run-scoring hits gave him 62 RBI on the season. It's the third
time in his career he's exceeded 60 RBI before the All-Star break.
He also did it in 1997 and '99. ... Over the last three-plus
seasons, the Reds have just 12 wins in 35 games against the Giants.
... The Giants (31-31) reached .500 for the first time since June
5, when they were 27-27.
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