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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ATLANTA (AP) -- With one swing of his bat, Andres Galarraga did
it again.
|  | | Andres Galarraga is off to a storybook start this season. |
Galarraga hit a grand slam in the fifth inning to rally the
Braves to a 7-5 victory Saturday night over the San Francisco
Giants.
"It's an amazing story," Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox said
of his slugger, who missed the 1999 season because of cancer.
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.
"He's in mid-season form," Cox said. "He's been like that
since the start of spring training. He came back like he's never
been sick."
The Atlanta first baseman hit a 425-foot drive over the center-field fence against the wind on the first pitch from Livan Hernandez (0-2), giving him three homers and nine RBIs on the season.
"I'm feeling comfortable at the plate," said Galaragga, who
said the homer was one of the hardest balls he ever hit. "I really
crushed it. I had to because of that wind, but I knew it was out
when I hit it."
Greg Maddux (2-0) allowed four runs and eight hits in seven
innings for the win on a chilly Atlanta night. It was 42 degrees at
game time with a wind chill in the low 30s.
Maddux also contributed to the winning rally, hitting a triple
to right with one out in the fifth and the Braves trailing 3-2.
With two outs, Reggie Sanders and Chipper Jones drew walks, loading
the bases for Galarraga.
"He (Hernandez) threw him a breaking ball up," Giants manager
Dusty Baker said. "Galarraga doesn't miss them. We made a mistake
to him and he lost it."
In the season-opener Monday, Galarraga broke a scoreless tie in
the seventh inning with a solo home run in Atlanta's 2-0 win over
Colorado. The Big Cat then hit a three-run shot in the sixth inning
Wednesday to give Atlanta a 7-6 lead in a 9-6 win over the Rockies.
"He did it again. It's great to see, and it was good timing,
too," said Maddux, who gave up six hits and three runs in the
first two innings before settling down.
"When you put your team in a three-run hole early, somebody is
going to have to do something special to come back. Obviously, the
Cat did."
Galarraga also came up with the bases full and two outs in the
sixth, but bounced to third and a forceout on a 3-1 pitch from
reliever Ben Weber.
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.
The Giants took a 3-0 lead, scoring in the first on an RBI
single by Barry Bonds and adding two runs in the second on a
run-scoring groundout by Hernandez and an RBI single by Marvin
Benard.
The Braves got to 3-2 in the third on rookie infielder Rafael
Furcal's first major league RBI -- a single to center, scoring Walt
Weiss. Chipper Jones then followed with a run-scoring double, his first RBI of the season. The Braves added a run in the eighth on a RBI bloop single by Sanders.
San Francisco's Felipe Crespo hit a solo home run -- his first -- in the seventh off Maddux and Bonds walked, went to second on a
wild pitch and scored on a single by pinch-hitter Ellis Burks to
get within 6-5 in the eighth off Mike Remlinger.
Game notes
Galarraga's grand slam was the 10th of his career. His last
was on May 31, 1997 vs. Kevin Brown. ... The fifth-inning triple by
Maddux was the second of his career. His first came last season.
... Atlanta OF Brian Jordan was placed on the 15-day DL with a
strained right rib cage muscle, retroactive to April 4. Brian
Hunter was called up from Triple-A Richmond to take his place. ...
Furcal, the 19-year-old who made the jump from Class A, is the
youngest player in the majors at 19 years, seven months, 13 months
younger than St. Louis pitcher Rick Ankiel. ... Bonds stole his
461st base in the first inning, tying his father (Bobby) for 40th
place on the all-time list. ... LHP Shawn Estes, on the DL with
tendinitis of his left shoulder, gave up nine runs -- three earned --
and five hits Friday night in a rehab start with Triple-A Fresno
vs. Sacramento.
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Baseball Scoreboard
San Francisco Clubhouse
Atlanta Clubhouse
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