Grand Slam For Bonds, Win For Giants

April 26, 1998 / 10:35 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Barry Bonds got the Giants close. Stan Javier and Charlie Hayes put them over the top.

Javier and Hayes hit solo homers off Doug Jones in the ninth inning as San Francisco rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-7 Sunday.

Bonds had a grand slam and drove in five runs for the Giants, who overcame a 6-0 deficit and won consecutive games for the first time since a three-game streak from April 12-14. San Francisco had lost seven of nine coming in.

"Before each game, we say we're going to play hard for nine innings," Hayes said. "No matter how far behind we get, we keep trying to plug away and that's exactly what happened today. That's what is so good about this team. They never give up."

The victory brought the Giants (12-12) back to .500. They've come from behind in seven of their wins.

"This is one of the biggest games of the year for us," Giants manager Dusty Baker said. "Maybe our power bats are coming alive. Hopefully, this will be a big lift for our team and get us going on a good run."

With the Giants trailing 7-6, Javier connected off Jones (1-1), who blew a save for the second time in 10 chances. After Rich Aurilia flied out, Hayes hit for Steve Reed (1-0) and homered over the left-field wall.

"It doesn't take much," Jones said. "They were changeups to both of them. They were in the strike zone, maybe up a little, but they were looking for them and they got out in front. I didn't think either one was hit quite that well, but with the wind, they took off."

Hayes, who worked the count to 2-1 before hitting his third homer of the season, said he expected Jones to go with a changeup.

"I looked for it the whole at-bat," he said. "If he had thrown me three fastballs down the middle, he probably would have struck me out. But I was up there looking for his best pitch and I got it."

Mike Matheny hit a solo shot for the Brewers in the eighth off Rich Rodriguez after San Francisco closed to 6-5. Bonds got his fifth RBI with a two-out double off Bob Wickman in the bottom half, but Jeff Kent ended the inning by striking out for the third consecutive time.

Marvin Benard also homered for the Giants, 2-4 against Milwaukee this season.

Jeff Juden nearly blew his six-run lead, and both benches emptied when he threw 5-feet behind Benard's back in the sixth. Order was restored without any punches, though Benard and Juden took a few steps toward each other and exchanged words.

"To be honest with you, I wasn't going to fight," Benard said. "But I wasn't going to let him throw the ball behind me and just stand there. I was going to let him know I didn't appreciate it."

Juden said it was nothing personal.

"I think Marvin is a good guy off the fieldbut we might have some problems on the field," Juden said. "I wasn't too fond of them throwing the ball behind Jeromy Burnitz."

Juden, waived by the Giants two years ago, allowed five runs and five hits in 5 2-3 innings, struck out six and walked five.

Mark Gardner failed to get out of the third inning, giving up six straight hits, including an RBI single by Mark Loretta and Valentin's three-run homer.

Burnitz then lifted a fly to center and it dropped for a double when Javier lost it in the sun. Grissom followed with his third homer.

Trailing 6-0, the Giants narrowed the gap to two in the bottom half on Bonds' fifth homer of this year and eighth career slam.

Gardner allowed six runs and nine hits in two innings, his shortest outing this season.

Notes: Third baseman Jeff Cirillo was scratched from the Milwaukee lineup with a stiff neck and replaced by Loretta, who had three hits. Cirillo is day to day. ... Fernando Vina's first-inning double snapped an 0-for-17 slide. ... San Francisco leadoff hitter Darryl Hamilton has missed the past two games due to a bruised heel. Benard started in his place. ... Bonds' previous slam was last July 23 against Philadelphia off Mark Leiter. ... Milwaukee's six runs in the third was a season high. ... The Brewers' bullpen had 15 2-3 scoreless innings against the Giants during their first five games before giving up three runs Sunday.

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