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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Two years ago, Armando Rios hit pinch-hit
home runs at Dodger Stadium in his second and third major league
at-bats.
|  | | Rios waves to the home crowd after his dramatic ninth-inning homer Tuesday night |
That feeling didn't even compare to his excitement Tuesday
night.
Rios came to the plate as a pinch-hitter with two outs and two
runners on in the bottom of the ninth inning and hit a 2-0 fastball
from John Wetteland over the left-center field wall to give the
Giants a 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers and a sweep of a
three-game series.
"I got to third base and saw my teammates waiting for me at the
plate," Rios said. "Then the fans called me back for a curtain
call. I can't imagine a better feeling. This was definitely my best
trip around the bases."
Ellis Burks, who was on second when Rios came to the plate,
added, "I don't think he felt a thing until he got to home plate
and all the guys were pounding on his head."
Burks and Rich Aurilia had singled to set up Rios' heroics.
Wetteland missed with his first two pitches, and Rios was waiting
for the next one.
"On 2-0, I knew I was going to get a fastball," Rios said. "I
won't lie to you, I was trying to hit the ball hard, to go for a
home run. When I hit it, I thought it was either out of here or off
the wall."
Wetteland (3-3) has converted 23 of 28 save chances.
"I threw a fastball and got it up," he said. "That is what
happens when you do that. My role is to get the job done, and I
didn't tonight."
San Francisco is 13-2 in July.
"The Giants are a hot team, and when you're a hot team, nothing
you do is wrong. When you're cold, you don't catch a break,"
Rangers manager Johnny Oates said.
Texas brought Wetteland into the game with two outs in the
eighth inning, and he struck out Barry Bonds to end a Giants rally.
"We don't like to bring Wetteland in before the ninth inning,"
Oates said. "That hasn't worked well for us this year. But his
strikeout of Bonds was huge."
The Giants, who did not put a runner on base until Burks doubled
with one out in the fifth off Rick Helling, scored twice in the
eighth to cut it to 3-2.
The Giants chased Helling on doubles by J.T Snow and Bobby
Estalella. With two outs, Calvin Murray had a pinch-hit single off
Mike Venafro.
Giants starter Russ Ortiz matched Helling until the seventh when
the Rangers broke through for two runs.
Mike Lamb and Gabe Kapler singled, and both scored when Royce
Clayton sliced a double into the right-field corner.
The Rangers threatened to get more, but Rusty Greer lined out on
reliever Alan Embree's first pitch, and Helling was easily doubled
off second base.
Texas added a run in the eighth when Lamb singled home Ivan
Rodriguez.
Aaron Fultz (3-1) pitched the ninth for the win.
Game notes
Burks has a 10-game hitting streak. ... Ortiz, who has
struggled this season, has allowed just two earned runs and walked
only two in his last two appearances, a span of 12 1-3 innings. ...
Helling came into the game with a 2.92 ERA on the road, fourth-best
in the AL. ... Bonds struck out four times. ... Rios is 21-of-45
with runners in scoring position.
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