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Pirates’ Gorzelanny wins first career game

By Alan Robinson Ap Sports Writer 3 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Rookie left-hander Tom Gorzelanny limited slumping San Francisco to two runs over seven innings and drove in a run himself in his first career victory, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Giants 4-3 Saturday night. Jeromy Burnitz homered and two Ronny Paulino singles led to runs as the Pirates matched their season high by winning their fourth in a row. They own the NL’s worst record – 39-66 – but are 9-6 since the All-Star break.

Barry Bonds, booed as usual during every at-bat in the city where he twice won the NL MVP award, drove in a run with a bloop double in the first but the Giants still lost their fifth in a row. The losing streak is their longest of the season, and they are winless on a six-game road trip to Washington and Pittsburgh that winds up this afternoon.

Gorzelanny (1-2) needed six starts, one a year ago, before winning in the majors. He hadn’t lasted longer than six innings before giving up two runs and six hits over seven, effectively keeping the ball down while striking out five and walking one.

Gorzelanny got 16 of 21 outs on grounders or strikeouts, with no Giants batter retired on a popup or flyball until Pedro Feliz popped up to end the fourth. His ability to keep the ball on the ground helped Gorzelanny get out of several jams.

After Bonds’ double fell in front of center fielder Jose Bautista in the first, Gorzelanny got Moises Alou to ground out and prevent any further scoring. The run was the first allowed by the 24-year-old Gorzelanny in the first inning in the majors.

The Giants also threatened by putting runners on first and second in the fourth, but the runners were stranded when Feliz was retired.

Gorzelanny’s groundout scored the Pirates’ first run of the game in the second, following leadoff singles by Burnitz and Paulino. Pittsburgh took a 3-1 lead in the third against Jamey Wright (6-9) on Paulino’s RBI single and Jose Castillo’s run-scoring double that hopped the center-field wall and landed in the Giants’ bullpen.

Wright is 4-11 in his career and has lost his last five decisions against the Pirates, going winless in seven starts since last beating them on July 1, 2002.

Mike Gonzalez pitched the ninth for his 18th save in as many opportunities, after Salomon Torres struck out Shea Hillenbrand to end the eighth with runners on first and second.

Eliezer Alfonzo singled in a run in the ninth for the Giants.

NOTES: The Giants’ Omar Vizquel had a run-scoring single in the fifth. … The Pirates are 5-1 against the Giants this season. … Pirates 1B Sean Casey was scratched with a strained muscle, so Joe Randa started at 1B for the first time since 2004. … Bonds fouled a ball off his left foot in the sixth inning, but stayed in the game until the eighth. Bonds left Wednesday’s game against the Nationals with a mildly strained left hamstring and didn’t start Thursday, but has started both weekend games against the Pirates. … Bonds went 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. … The crowd of 38,373 was the sixth largest since PNC Park opened in 2001 and represented the Pirates’ fourth sellout of the season and second in as many nights.

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