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Morris outduels Kennedy as Giants avoid interleague sweep

May 21, 2007 - 1:47 AM OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- The San Francisco Giants occasionally have trouble scoring runs, but their pitching has not been a question mark.

Matt Morris pitched a complete game as the Giants avoided a sweep at the hands of their cross-bay rival Oakland Athletics with a 4-1 victory on Sunday.

Randy Winn and Rich Aurilia each homered and rookie Dan Ortmeier had three hits for San Francisco, which scored more than three runs for the first time in the series.

"It was a well-played game, a much needed game," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "We came in here and lost the first two, and that's the last thing you want to do is get swept. It was nice to bounce back and play a good game today."

Morris (5-1) yielded just one run and two hits, striking out nine and issuing two walks. The veteran righthander has given up more than three runs just once this season.

"I'm not hear to be on the back page, that's for sure," Morris said. "I'm just here to try and go out there get my innings and keep the team in games as long as I can. We've been playing well some games and just haven't been able to scratch it out. Hopefully this will push us a little harder."

"He (Morris) looked awesome," Winn said. "He did a great job, and this is exactly what we needed. He threw all his pitches and threw them all for strikes. He really picked us up today when we needed it."

It was Morris' first complete game since August 25, 2006, against Cincinnati, and his two hits allowed equaled a career low set on September 3, 2004, against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"He did a terrific job," Bochy said. "It usually comes down to pitching and defense, and we did a good job with both today."

Joe Kennedy started for the A's and nearly matched his counterpart through seven innings, allowing single runs in the third and fourth before getting knocked out in the eighth.

"I really didn't have much today," Kennedy said. "To come out of the game after seven innings was good for me, though. There are only going to (be) a handful of starts when you have your best stuff, but when you don't, it's nice when you can go out there and get seven innings and stay in it."

The lefthander, who moved into the rotation this season after spending most of 2006 in the bullpen, entered Sunday's start having yielded just one earned run in six of his eight starts this season but owning just a single win.

Run support again was an issue for Kennedy. The lone run for Oakland came on a sacrifice fly in the sixth by Dan Johnson, which followed Travis Buck's triple.

Oakland has scored more than five runs just twice in their last nine contests, and both the Giants and A's rank in the bottom half of the major leagues in runs scored and team batting average.

The Giants got on the board in the second when Eliezer Alfonzo scored on a wild pitch and added a run in the third on Winn's solo blast.

"I'm just trying to get on base any way I can," said Winn, who extended his hitting streak to a career-high 19 games. "There is no explanation for it. Sometimes your balls fall in and sometimes they don't. I'm just trying to be a good leadoff hitter and put the ball in play. Right now and the balls are falling."

San Francisco did not score again until the eighth, when Aurilia led off with a solo homer. The Giants added one more run when Ortmeier's single plated Pedro Feliz.

"I was trying to get a good pitch to hit," said Ortmeier, whose three hits were a career high. "It was just a matter of putting a good swing on the ball and finding some holes. We got the win today, which is the biggest thing, though. This is one that we really needed after losing the last two."