Giants-Marlins Preview
Lost in the spotlight surrounding Barry Bonds' home run chase has been his steady improvement at the plate.
The seven-time NL MVP looks to continue his recent hitting surge for the San Francisco Giants when they continue a three-game series against the Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium on Tuesday.
Bonds went 1-for-4 with a single in a 5-1 loss Monday, one day after he hit his 715th career homer at home against Colorado to pass Babe Ruth for second on the all-time list.
Bonds is hitting .343 (12-for-35) over his last 11 games to raise his average from .217 to .254 - and reiterated he'll likely play again in 2007.
''My son wants me to. He says, 'It looks like you can still play. You don't run as well at times when you play every day, but, Dad, you can still hit a ball a long way. If you work at it all the time, then you can keep on doing it.' I'll sit back and think about that one,'' Bonds said.
''If I'm healthy enough, it's a good shot. It's still a long way away. We're still in May. Anything can happen between now and then.''
An announced crowd of 7,683 attended Monday's game - the smallest to watch Bonds this year.
''He's an exciting player to watch. You never take our eyes off him when he's hitting,'' said Marlins manager Joe Girardi. ''You don't do that with all hitters.''
San Francisco (26-25) will try to avoid losing three straight games for the first time since dropping four in a row from May 4-7. The Giants managed only five hits Monday, including a solo homer by Ray Durham.
Florida (16-33) - looking for its sixth win in seven games against San Francisco - improved to 5-2 on its nine-game homestand. Mike Jacobs homered and Dan Uggla added a two-run single for the Marlins.
Uggla is hitting .377 (29-for-77) with 12 RBIS over his last 19 games.
Marlins starter Brian Moehler (2-4, 6.80) has turned in three straight solid outings after starting 0-4. Moehler is 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA in his last three starts after earning his second win of the season by allowing three runs and eight hits over seven innings in a 9-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.
''He's throwing a lot more strikes, using the breaking ball effectively, getting ahead in the count and getting hitters to chase pitches,'' Girardi said. ''He's limiting his pitches, so he's stronger down the road.''
The right-hander, who has never faced Bonds, is making his second career start against the Giants. Moehler allowed five runs and eight hits over four innings in an 8-5 victory on April 16, 2003 while with Houston.
Noah Lowry (1-2, 3.62) is 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA in his last two outings. He gave up five runs and a season-high 10 hits over six innings in a 10-4 loss to St. Louis on Wednesday.
The left-hander is making his third career start at Dolphin Stadium, where he is 1-0 with a 2.92 ERA. It will mark just his second road start of the year.
The seven-time NL MVP looks to continue his recent hitting surge for the San Francisco Giants when they continue a three-game series against the Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium on Tuesday.
Bonds went 1-for-4 with a single in a 5-1 loss Monday, one day after he hit his 715th career homer at home against Colorado to pass Babe Ruth for second on the all-time list.
Bonds is hitting .343 (12-for-35) over his last 11 games to raise his average from .217 to .254 - and reiterated he'll likely play again in 2007.
''My son wants me to. He says, 'It looks like you can still play. You don't run as well at times when you play every day, but, Dad, you can still hit a ball a long way. If you work at it all the time, then you can keep on doing it.' I'll sit back and think about that one,'' Bonds said.
''If I'm healthy enough, it's a good shot. It's still a long way away. We're still in May. Anything can happen between now and then.''
An announced crowd of 7,683 attended Monday's game - the smallest to watch Bonds this year.
''He's an exciting player to watch. You never take our eyes off him when he's hitting,'' said Marlins manager Joe Girardi. ''You don't do that with all hitters.''
San Francisco (26-25) will try to avoid losing three straight games for the first time since dropping four in a row from May 4-7. The Giants managed only five hits Monday, including a solo homer by Ray Durham.
Florida (16-33) - looking for its sixth win in seven games against San Francisco - improved to 5-2 on its nine-game homestand. Mike Jacobs homered and Dan Uggla added a two-run single for the Marlins.
Uggla is hitting .377 (29-for-77) with 12 RBIS over his last 19 games.
Marlins starter Brian Moehler (2-4, 6.80) has turned in three straight solid outings after starting 0-4. Moehler is 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA in his last three starts after earning his second win of the season by allowing three runs and eight hits over seven innings in a 9-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.
''He's throwing a lot more strikes, using the breaking ball effectively, getting ahead in the count and getting hitters to chase pitches,'' Girardi said. ''He's limiting his pitches, so he's stronger down the road.''
The right-hander, who has never faced Bonds, is making his second career start against the Giants. Moehler allowed five runs and eight hits over four innings in an 8-5 victory on April 16, 2003 while with Houston.
Noah Lowry (1-2, 3.62) is 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA in his last two outings. He gave up five runs and a season-high 10 hits over six innings in a 10-4 loss to St. Louis on Wednesday.
The left-hander is making his third career start at Dolphin Stadium, where he is 1-0 with a 2.92 ERA. It will mark just his second road start of the year.
posted by San Francisco Giants at
2:31 PM
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