Rays/MLB

Giants 6, Braves 5

By Times Staff Writer
Published April 10, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO - The way Randy Winn's season started, any hit would have been worth celebrating. Getting the winning hit for the Giants provided an added boost.

Winn blooped a single to shallow right field to score the winning run after Lance Niekro led off the ninth with a homer to left for San Francisco.

"It's tough to put into words," said Winn, who went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs to raise his average to .238 after a 2-for-16 start. "You work hard to help the team win. It's always encouraging when you get hits, no matter what they look like."

Tim Worrell pitched the ninth for the win and Chris Reitsma blew his first save. Winn came up big after pinch-hitter Steve Finley drew an intentional walk.

Andruw Jones had tied it with a three-run homer off Jason Schmidt in the sixth, and Edgar Renteria gave the Braves the lead on a seventh-inning double.

Barry Bonds walked twice, grounded out and struck out looking, remaining stalled at 708 home runs one week into the season.

Bonds "tweaked" his troublesome right knee when he jammed his lead foot into the dirt in his first at-bat - a walk - but didn't think it would slow him.

John Smoltz rebounded from a rough first outing against the Dodgers on Tuesday with seven strong innings, surviving the Giants' four-run second. He allowed six hits, struck out four and walked two, but his bullpen couldn't get him a victory.

NOTABLE: Chipper Jones sprained his right ankle and twisted his right knee in the eighth. The Braves' third baseman charged in on Mike Matheny's slow roller with two outs, appearing to get his spikes caught in the soggy field. He grabbed his knee as soon as he went to the ground and rolled around in pain, staying down for several minutes before being helped off. Jones, who will get a couple of days off before being re-examined Wednesday, said he had a flashback to when he tore a ligament in his left knee in 1994. This time he heard a pop in his right knee and it hurt for a few minutes before calming down. The ankle was still in pain later.

[Last modified April 10, 2006, 01:57:00]