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GAME LOG
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Billy Wagner seems as baffled as anyone
about his dramatic demise.
A day after losing his job as Houston's closer, Wagner walked
all four batters he faced and threw a go-ahead, run-scoring wild
pitch Saturday as the San Francisco Giants beat the Astros 6-4.
"I've got 50,000 people out there with theories about Billy
Wagner," said Wagner, who last season set a franchise record with
39 saves. "But I'm not throwing any different than I have in the
past."
Wagner, who was demoted after blowing eight of 14 save chances,
replaced starter Jose Lima in the sixth inning with a 4-3 lead, two
on and two out.
He loaded the bases with a walk to Bill Mueller, then tied the
game by walking Barry Bonds on a full count. Wagner next threw the
ball in the dirt on a 0-2 pitch to Jeff Kent, allowing Marvin
Benard to score the go-ahead run.
Then Wagner walked Kent, reloading the bases, and walked J.T.
Snow, forcing in another run. Marc Valdes relieved and struck out
Rich Aurilia.
Astros manager Larry Dierker said Wagner's downfall this season
is as confusing to him as it is to his recently demoted closer.
Wagner's mechanics seem fine, he said.
"I'd have liked to find an easier situation for him," Dierker
said. "But this was his day."
Lima (1-10), winless in 13 starts since beating Pittsburgh 11-1 on
April 5, allowed five runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings.
"I'm fine," he said. "I go out there and pitch like I'm
9-and-1 not 1-and-9. I'm not happy, but for the last month I've
gone out there and pitched well, I think."
Giants manager Dusty Baker wasn't about to theorize about
Houston's pitching woes. "Sometimes there's no explanation," Baker said. "I'm not
going to try to figure out their problems. We just got ours figured
out."
The Giants have won five straight and have climbed to two games
over .500 for the first time since May 13.
Livan Hernandez (5-6) won for the fifth time in his last seven
starts, giving up four runs and eight hits in seven innings. Robb
Nen pitched the ninth for his 10th save in 14 chances.
Kent's RBI single and Snow's sacrifice fly put the Giants ahead
in the first. Kent leads the NL with 64 RBIs.
Tony Eusebio hit a sacrifice fly in the second, and Houston took
a 4-2 lead in the third on Jeff Bagwell's RBI single and Moises
Alou's two-run double.
Armando Rios' run-scoring single off Lima pulled the Giants to
4-3 in the sixth before Wagner's appearance.
Game notes
Houston general manager Gerry Hunsicker said the Astros
will use a "closer by committee" approach. ... The Giants signed
RHP Kyle Gross, son of former Oakland INF Wayne Gross. The younger
Gross was a fifth-round pick by the Giants in this year's draft.
... Chris Truby, recalled from Triple-A New Orleans to fill Astros
3B Ken Caminiti on the roster, was not in the starting lineup
Saturday. Truby had his first major league hit, a triple in the
ninth inning, in Friday night's game. Bill Spiers was at third on
Saturday. Caminiti was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Friday
because of a ruptured tendon sheath in his right wrist. ... Kent
has driven in at least one run in each of his last nine games. He
has hit safely in 28 of his last 31 games. ... Alou is batting .311
on the road this season, with four doubles, six home runs and 14
RBI.
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Looking for relief: Astros change role of struggling Wagner
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