Rowand, Giants rally past Dodgers 5-4

April 12, 2011BOXSCOREGIANTSVIDEOMLBPAGEMLBSCOREBOARDMychael UrbanCSNBayArea.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants outfielder Aaron Rowand isn't anyone's idea of a prototypical leadoff hitter, but he did a more-than-passable impression in the seventh inning Tuesday night to help the Giants snap a two-game slide with a 5-4 victory over the visiting Dodgers on a chilly night at China Basin.Rowand, who opened the 2010 season as San Francisco's leadoff man but lost the job to Andres Torres and endured one of the most disappointing seasons of his career, got another crack at the role in the second game of a three-game series and provided the type of spark that Torres -- out with an Achilles' heel strain -- so often provided as the Giants rolled to their improbable World Series title.Moments after blasting a drive into right-center field off Blake Hawksworth for a leadoff triple, Rowand stormed home on a wild pitch to score the winning run to the delight of a capacity crowd that roared even louder two innings later when closer Brian Wilson picked up his first save of the season by striking out all three batters he faced in the ninth.
"We had some big hit, key hits; Rowand had a nice night," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, whose team fought back from an early 3-0 deficit. "We did a good job of keeping the line moving, and thats what weve been missing."URBAN: Belt still fits Giants just fine
Added Rowand: "That's the makeup of this team. We've got a lot of veteran guys who've been through the wars and battles and don't give up when we get down."
What on paper had all the makings of a low-scoring pitcher's duel -- Giants ace Tim Lincecum vs. Chad Billingsley's 2.50 ERA in 11 previous outings at AT&T Park -- started to devolve after both starters cruised through the first three innings.After one-out singles by Jamey Carroll and Andre Ethier in the top of the fourth, 2011 Giants killer Matt Kemp lashed an RBI double to right to open the scoring, and an error by rookie first baseman Brandon Belt made it 2-0 before former Giant fan favorite-turned-villain Juan Uribe padded the lead with an RBI double of his own.San Francisco bounced back in its half of the frame, cutting the lead to one on the strength of a one-out double by Freddy Sanchez and two-out, run-scoring singles from Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval. Lincecum expressed his gratitude with a perfect top of the fifth, and a leadoff single by Belt in the bottom half set the stage for a rally that featured a game-tying single by Rowand and another RBI knock from Posey to give the Giants the lead.VIDEO: Buster Posey postgame
"We never give up," said Sandoval. "We fight every inning, we fight every at-bat."VIDEO: Pablo Sandoval postgame
Lincecum was lifted after loading the bases with one out in the sixth, necessitating a Houdini job by reliever Guillermo Mota, but the Dodgers pulled back into a tie when pinch hitter Marcus Thames greeted Jeremy Affeldt with a leadoff shot deep into the left-field bleachers to open the seventh.
"Mota really saved us tonight," Bochy said.VIDEO: Bruce Bochy postgame
After Rowand's dual dashes put the Giants back in front, Sergio Romo worked a perfect eighth to set up Brian Wilson's display of dominance to wrap up the night.Hes been behind a little bit, Bochy said of Wilson, who struggled in his first two outings after missing much of spring training and the first five games of the regular season with injuries. We knew hed be a little rusty ... now it looks like hes back to where he needs to be.