The Comeback Kids

This was the most exciting weekend I've seen this year from S.F. It also helps affirm my upbringing never to leave a game before it's over, even when it's late and cold.

Proof: two consecutive last-chance comebacks against the Dodgers at home. This is our first winning homestand of the season (which is sad, but huge), and our first series win over L.A.

Here's a quick run-down, though I don't want to simply recap what you can find at the wrap for Friday, at the wrap for Saturday, at the wrap for Sunday, or at the recap of the entire thing.

Friday:
Zito gives up five runs in five innings. That's enough.

Saturday:
Bonds shows up to the 50th Anniversary OF ceremony, walking in from LF while Mays, his godfather, walks in from CF. Mays was thankful; Bonds was humorous. "I just have to say that it's odd not being in uniform and the Dodgers are right there" (pointing and looking ominously to the dugout), "Torre, I beat you before, and I'll beat you again", and of course the awkward but eventually amusing end: "I haven't retired; thank you."

Correia pitches six solid innings; Billy Sadler pitches two beautifully complete innings in relief (including striking out Manny Ramirez in a close situation to end a game-blowing threat); The Manimal does not blow the game even though he wasn't in a save situation; Walker blows the game, giving up a solo shot to Kent in the 10th, but gets rescued; Roberts goes 3-3 with two leadoff doubles; S.F. gets a walk-off win after Roberts doubles, Winn singles, Burriss reaches after an error-throw home (scoring Roberts), Ochoa gets HBP, and Rowand singles after previously going 0-3 to win the game. Sadler's outing would later become a huge debate, because, just up from the minors, he fist-pumped this strikeout or Ramirez, which caused Kent to give a glare to our bullpen when hitting the go-ahead HR; that glare, in turn, probably fired us up enough to put them away. Good, old-fashioned S.F.-L.A. baseball.

Sunday:
Cain pitches well, though it wasn't his best start. He did manage to hit Manny Ramirez in the first inning, though if one looks at the replay, because Manny bent down he got hit in the head instead of, oh, getting hit in the hamstring or perhaps not at all. Winn gets all three of our first runs somehow, either with a single early or a double mid-late in the game. Ramirez gave the Dodgers the lead with a 2-run double late, but that wasn't enough for the Dodger 'pen. Winn led off with a single in the 9th, going 3-4 that day. A botched bunt pop-up by Vizquel and a perfect DP-ball thanks to Mr. Castillo wasn't even enough, because the newly-acquired Blake had an error at 3B off that DP-ball, and Kuo couldn't handle a soft grounder from Velez (who ran it out, thank God) -- walk-off win again.

No question: the best weekend of the season. I was so hoarse from Saturday night that I couldn't speak regularly for half of Sunday, and I still can't sing normally in my usual range.

-MSH