• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Bonds hitless as Giants rally to top Brewers

Jul 21, 2007 - 4:57 AM MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- With all the attention focused on whether Barry Bonds would creep closer to Hank Aaron's all-time home run record, and if commissioner Bud Selig would be in attendance to witness it, the rest of the San Francisco Giants atoned for the slugger's shortcomings.

Guillermo Rodriguez had three RBI and Dave Roberts and Omar Vizquel each collected three hits as the Giants rallied for an 8-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday despite an unsuccessful performance by Bonds.

A day after hitting his 752nd and 753rd home runs to climb within three of breaking Aaron's mark, Bonds was the only position player in San Francisco's lineup not to record a hit. He went 0-for-4 with a walk before leaving the game for a defensive replacement in the eighth, stranding five runners while receiving a chorus of boos during every plate appearance.

Following his dismal effort, Bonds refused to speak to the media.

The Giants, who had lost seven of their previous eight contests, used a pair of late rallies to get in the win column.

"We've been in a tough streak," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "We only won one in Chicago. It's nice to start off this series with a win."

After Milwaukee took a 4-3 lead in the fifth, San Francisco victimized reliever Carlos Villanueva for three runs in the seventh inning to move ahead.

With two outs, Villanueva (6-2) issued three straight walks before uncorking a wild pitch that allowed Ryan Klesko to cross the plate with the tying run. Rodriguez followed with a single to left-center field on a 3-2 pitch, staking the Giants to a 6-4 advantage.

"With Villanueva, he got the first two outs, boom boom, but he had trouble throwing strikes from that point on," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "Our bullpen has been so good for us all year, it's very seldom that they have trouble, but they had some trouble tonight."

Rodriguez, who drove in San Francisco's first run with a single in the fourth, has registered some clutch hits for the Giants. He improved to 6-for-19 with runners in scoring position since being called up from the minors on June 15.

"I'm trying to concentrate more when I have runners in scoring position, and it was huge in thi game," Rodriguez said. "That was an amazing game. We needed this kind of game."

An inning later, San Francisco reached Milwaukee for a pair of insurance runs. Former closer Derrick Turnbow came on for Grant Balfour with two on and one out and struck out Bonds.

But Klesko delivered an RBI single to center and Rich Aurilia followed with a run-scoring base hit for an 8-4 bulge.

After allowing five runs and a season-high 10 hits against Los Angeles on Sunday, Noah Lowry (10-7) benefited from his team's late surge to post his first career win in Milwaukee. The lefthander yielded four runs - three earned - five hits and three walks with four strikeouts in six innings Friday to improve to 1-2 in four career outings at Miller Park.

"I was able to work both sides of the plate and keep them from having the big inning," Lowry said. "I tried to do what I could, and the guys came out and swung the bats, and that was huge."

Brewers starter Jeff Suppan lasted five innings, surrendering three runs, nine hits and two walks with three strikeouts. The righthander was in line for his first win since June 22 before Milwaukee's bullpen imploded.

J.J. Hardy had two RBI for the Brewers, whose lead over the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central Division was reduced to 2 1/2 games. The advantage is Milwaukee's smallest since April 28.