Javier, Giants Outlast Expos
The San Francisco Giants keep finding new ways to win.
Stan Javier scored on Ugueth Urbina's wild pitch in the 10th inning as the Giants beat the Montreal Expos 3-2 Tuesday night before 5,202, the smallest crowd of the season at Olympic Stadium.
The Giants won their fourth straight to improve their NL-best record to 14-7. Montreal committed three errors as it lost its fifth in a row.
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Javier led off the 10th with a single off reliever Steve Kline (0-1). Urbina relieved and got Ellis Burks to hit a routine grounder to Expos shortstop Orlando Cabrera, but the ball went through Cabrera's legs for Montreal's league-leading 27th error and Javier advanced to third. Javier then scored on Urbina's wild pitch.
"I'm not surprised the way we're playing because this team just plays good hard baseball," Javier said.
San Francisco reliever John Johnstone (3-0) struck out the side in the ninth for the win, and Rob Nenn pitch a perfect ninth for his seventh save.
Marvin Benard, who doubled twice and scored the Giants' first run on catcher Chris Widger's first-inning throwing error, echoed Baker's thoughts.
"A win is a win, it doesn't matter if it's pretty or ugly," Benard said. "It's big because it boosts our confidence. Baseball's all about confidence to me."
Montreal's Rondell White singled in the first to extend his hitting streak to 11 games and hit a two-run homer off Kirk Rueter in the third to tie the game at 2.
"He hit it pretty high, way up there, and it just kept going," Rueter said.
Giants reliever Julian Tavarez escaped a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the seventh when he got Widger to ground out to short on a 3-2 pitch.
Wilton Guerreo and Michael Barrett each had two hits for the Expos.
Rueter, who gave up seven straight hits and five runs to Colorado in one-third third of an inning five days earlier, held Montreal to two runs on seven hits in six innings to lower his ERA from 13.50 to 10.13.
"Everybody's trying to do their part," Benard said. "Johnstone did a great job and Tavarez did another great job. Rueter hung in there as long as he could and gave us some innings, which is what we need, and things are working out fine for us right now."
San Francisco took a 2-0 lead in the first on Widger's throwing error and a sacrifice fly.
Benard lined a leadoff double to the wall in left-center off Miguel Batista and moved to third on Stan Javier's single.
Javier stole second and advanced to third when Widger's throw went into center field, allowing Benard to score. Burks drove in Javier with a sacrifice fly, and Jeff Kent followed with a double before Batista struck out J.T. Snow and got Charlie Hayes to fly to center to end the inning.
Over the next six innings, Batista allowed only a pair of walks and Benard's second double of the game with two outs in the fifth. He allowed two runs on four hits in seven innings.
"Our starters haven't been going long," Batista said. "I knew I needed a strong outing, at least seven innings, to give us a chance to win. I know we have some guys here who can hit. The other day they gave me 15 runs and today two, but that's part of the game."
White hit his fourth homer following Wilton Guerrero's single leading off the third.
Kline, activated from the 15-day DL earlier in the day, relieved Bobby Ayala with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth and got pinch hitter F.P. Santangelo to fly out to right.
Notes: The Giants began a nine-game road trip that will also include a pair of three-game series in New York and Pittsburgh. ... First baseman Brad Fullmer misjudged Ramon Martinez's foul pop in front of the Expos' dugout and fell down as he backpedaled to make the catch for the second out of the second. ... Rookie third baseman Michael Barrett dove to his left to field Benard's sharply hit grounder and threw him out to lead off the third. ... The Expos, who have drawn less than 10,000 for their last seven home dates, drew 5,589 for an 8-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Apr. 13.
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