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Deja vu for S.F., Mesa:
Reliever walks in winning run again
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By Nick Peters
Bee Staff Writer
The Sacramento Bee
Friday August 7, 1998

NEW YORK -- The last thing Giants manager Dusty Baker wanted was his
bullpen to crumble at Shea Stadium, where New York Mets manager Bobby
Valentine had reason to smirk.

It was Valentine who candidly mentioned recently that Baker was
wearing out his bullpen, as was the case last year. Considering how
the Giants pitched in this series, Valentine had a point.

For the second time in three games, newcomer Jose Mesa walked in the
winning run Thursday afternoon, giving the Mets a 9-8 victory and
wasting a tremendous Giants' comeback before 32,943.

Consequently, the Giants lost two out of three games to the Mets
despite scoring 20 runs. They were 6-4 on the trip and scored 69 runs,
most coming in a four-game sweep of Philadelphia.

"We're not a big scoring team -- we're just scoring a lot of runs,"
Jeff Kent observed. "We need all phases of the game to be going well
to be successful."

The offense definitely is clicking. Baker usually doesn't have the
luxury of former Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver to sit back and
wait for the three-run homer.

But it happened twice in the eighth inning of the series finale. The
Giants were down 6-2 when Kent connected on the first pitch of the
game from reliever Dennis Cook.

Kent's 16th homer, a 380-foot blast to right, came with two on and no
outs after Bill Mueller singled and Barry Bonds doubled off Mets
starter Masato Yoshi.

Cook retired two batters following Kent's homer, but Rich Aurilia's
single and Brent Mayne's double chased him. Greg McMichael came in to
face pinch hitter Charlie Hayes.

Hayes sent a 2-1 changeup soaring over the left-field fence for
another three-run homer and an 8-6 Giants lead.

"I was just trying to get a base hit," Hayes said of his third career
pinch-hit homer and the second this season. "It was a changeup in the
zone. With him, you basically have to look for a pitch."

After Hayes' blast pushed the Giants ahead, the dugout erupted with
joy. Then Baker, intending to rest Mesa another day, sent John
Johnstone to the mound for the bottom of the eighth.

Luis Lpez led off with a walk and pinch hitter Carlos Baerga singled.
Mesa wasn't adequately warmed up, so Baker went with closer Robb Nen
to quiet things. He didn't.

Nen's wild pitch advanced the runners and pinch hitter Jorge Fabregas,
after failing to bunt, hit a run-scoring grounder to cut the Giants'
lead to 8-7.

After the Giants left the bases loaded in the top of the ninth, Nen
was immediately in trouble again in the bottom of the innning. John
Olerud, who has a 20-game hitting streak, led off with a single to
center.

Pinch hitter Matt Franco grounded a single to right and Brian McRae's
line single to center made it 8-8. Lenny Harris was walked
intentionally, loading the bases.

Mesa then was summoned and experienced deja vu. On a 3-1 count, he
walked Lpez to end the game. Monday night, his 10th-inning walk to
Harris produced a 7-6 defeat.

"I wasn't tired," Mesa said. "I just couldn't throw it over the plate
today. You feel bad anytime you lose. You have to accept it, but you
never like it."

Baker was grilled for his choice and sequence of relievers. Why did
Johnstone start the eighth instead of Mesa, who is allegedly the new
set-up man for Nen, who usually works the ninth?

"Everything happened so fast," Baker allowed. "Johnstone was ready and
Mesa was trying to get ready. All of a sudden, Charlie hits a
three-run homer."

Nen, who took the loss and a blown save, didn't complain about how he
was used, adding: "Eighth, seventh or ninth (inning), whatever, it's
my job to pitch.

"I guess I didn't have it today. I was getting behind guys, and that's
what happens when you get behind on a team that hits. The guys battled
back, and then we gave it back to them."

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Copyright 1998. All rights reserved.

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