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Giants take advantage of Rockies' sloppy play

May 1, 2007 - 7:36 AM SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- Barry Bonds did not get a chance to homer. Pedro Feliz provided the power instead.

Bonds was walked three times - twice intentionally - but Pedro Feliz hit a three-run homer in the first to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 9-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Monday in the first game of a three-game series.

Feliz hit a three-run homer off Josh Fogg in a five-run first inning as the Giants snapped three-game skid.

Bonds has hit seven homers in his last 13 games, and teams are starting to shy away from challenging the single-season home run king. Bonds walked during the five-run first inning and that likely will continue unless guys like Feliz make them pay.

"He's (Feliz) always a threat up there and tonight he delivered for us," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "We've had trouble scoring runs and that got us going."

Holding a 5-4 lead, the Giants were then helped by a helped by an error by Willy Taveras and the Giants scored three runs in the seventh to break open a one-run game.

Omar Vizquel led off the seventh with a single to left off reliever Jeremy Affeldt, and Rich Aurilia followed with a double to right off the base of the wall. After Bonds was intentionally walked for the second time in the game, Ray Durham hit a sacrifice fly to center.

Willy Taveras caught the ball in shallow center and attempted to gun down Aurilia at third, but the ball skipped away from Atkins and went into the dugout, allowing Aurilia to score for a 6-4 lead. Bonds advanced to third on the error and scored as Affeldt let loose a wild pitch. Molina followed with an RBI groundout to make it 8-4.

"The two errors just really, really put us in a big hole," Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said. "We could've got out of the first inning with one run and obviously the throw going in the dugout, it kind of takes the wind out of your sails."

The beneficiary of the big inning was Noah Lowry (3-2), who ended a personal four-game losing streak against the Rockies and notched his third straight win despite not having his best stuff.

Lowry entered 1-4 with a 7.74 ERA all-time against the Rockies, and he labored in this one as well. The lefthander threw 99 pitches in five innings and allowed three runs and six hits. He walked three and struck out three.

Colorado loaded the bases twice but managed only two runs. In the first, Colorado loaded the bases with no one out. Helton plated a run with a fielder's choice, but Lowry got out of the inning by striking out Matt Holliday and getting Jeff Baker to fly out to right.

"For Noah to get us out of the first inning with one run, that was huge. It saved us," Bochy said. The Rockies loaded the bases again in the fifth, this time with one out. Yet they came up with just one run again as Holliday hit into a fielder's choice to third to cut the deficit to 5-3 and Baker popped out to short.

Colorado's struggles continued as Taveras and Troy Tulowitzki singled to lead off the seventh inning and an RBI single by Atkins off Kevin Correia cut the deficit to 5-4. However, Steve Kline entered and got Todd Helton to ground into a double play and Brad Hennessey retired Holliday on a groundout to shortstop.

"That's huge," Bochy said. "They created some jams there that we had to get out of. It's good to get a win after three tough losses and bounce back."

Five relievers combined to nail down the victory and closer Armando Benitez got the last two outs.

Tulowitzki matched his career high with four hits for Colorado, which has lost five of six.

Fogg (1-2) settled down after a rocky start and retired the last 10 batters he faced. He allowed five runs - one earned - and five hits in five innings.