Giants mount ninth inning rally to beat Dodgers

March 12, 2011BOXSCOREGIANTSVIDEOMLBPAGEMLBSCOREBOARD
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.(AP)The San Francisco Giants put together a late surge to win the NL West, storm through the playoffs and capture the World Series title last year.They haven't slowed down yet.Cody Ross and Pat Burrell each hit a two-run homer and the San Francisco Giants rallied for an 8-7 win over a Los Angeles Dodgers split-squad Saturday.San Francisco pushed across two runs with two out in the ninth inning to improve to a major league best 13-4 this spring. Thomas Neal scored the tying run on a wild pitch and rookie Gary Brown ended the game with an RBI single."There is still a hunger. You can tell," Giants closer Brian Wilson said. "The guys come in here fired up. We have to work harder. We can't stop working. We saw last year that the time and effort does pay off."Wilson, who turns 29 on Wednesday, pitched a scoreless sixth inning. The right-hander has worked three innings over three appearances after being slowed by a stiff back early in camp."I just basically had a personal talk with it (the discomfort) and told it, "I don't want you in my body anymore,'" Wilson said.Los Angeles scored four times in the eighth to take a 7-6 lead in front of a record crowd of 12,081 at Scottsdale Stadium. Andre Ethier had a bases-loaded triple and Elian Herrera delivered a sacrifice fly.Jonathan Sanchez was scheduled to start for San Francisco, but manager Bruce Bochy decided to have the left-hander avoid the Dodgers by pitching him against minor leaguers.Dan Runzler filled in and allowed two runs, one earned and five hits in three innings. The lefty, who went 3-0 in 41 games for the Giants last season, was scheduled to pitch but didn't know he was starting until he arrived at the ballpark and found the lineup and a baseball sitting in his chair.Asked whether the start could become a stepping stone to the rotation or whether he retains his middle-relief role, Runzler said: "I feel like I'm versatile enough (to do either), but I have no preference. I just want to pitch."NOTES: Sanchez pitched four innings, throwing 75 pitches and giving up two runs and four hits. ... INF Juan Uribe did not play against his former Giants teammates again, electing to play in the Dodgers' other split-squad game against Kansas City in Surprise. ... Casey Blake started at 3B for the Dodgers but was lifted after experiencing stiffness in his lower back while batting in the first inning. He did not play in the field. ... Tony Gwynn Jr. got three hits as the Dodgers' DH, raising his average to .360. ... The Giants are 10-1 when hitting at least one home run this spring. The team was 67-31 when homering in 2010.