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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -
Greg Maddux
had to take a few extra minutes of preparation before facing the
San Francisco Giants
for the first time since they cut ties with
Barry Bonds
.
Maddux has faced Bonds more than any other hitter in his storied career and always knew what his strategy would be against
the slugger with the game on the line.
Maddux managed just fine after a shaky first inning, retiring 19 of his final 20 batters to earn his 348th win and spoil the
Giants' home opener by leading the
San Diego Padres
to an 8-4 victory Monday.
''It is different,'' Maddux said. ''He's probably the best player I've ever had a chance to face. I know when you used to
go over the Giants lineup, you worried about eight guys because you know you're going to walk Barry if it matters. I actually
had to worry about one more guy. It took a little bit longer.''
Adrian Gonzalez
went 4-for-5 with a homer and four runs,
Khalil Greene
drove in three runs and
Jim Edmonds
hit a pair of RBI singles to lead the Padres.
The Giants celebrated the 50th anniversary of their move from New York without the player responsible for the bulk of the
team's highlights the past 15 seasons. The team decided not to bring back Bonds after he broke
Hank Aaron
's career home run record last season, and the slugger remains unsigned.
So far, the post-Bonds era has provided few highlights for the Giants. While the fans were still getting settled following
a pregame ceremony that honored
Willie Mays
,
Orlando Cepeda
,
Felipe Alou
and other members of the 1958 team that was the first in San Francisco, the Padres jumped out to an early lead against
Matt Cain
(0-1).
Tadahito Iguchi
doubled with one out in the first and Gonzalez followed with his second homer of the season, an opposite-field shot to left-center.
Edmonds added his first RBI single in a three-run third that gave the Padres a 5-1 lead, and that figured to be more than
enough support for Maddux (1-0) against a team that has only 16 runs and one win through the first seven games of the post-Bonds
era.
''It's disappointing. We wanted to give the fans something to cheer,'' said
Bengie Molina
, who drove in three of San Francisco's four runs. ''We haven't been playing the best ball and we have to pick it up. Bottom
line is we have to score runs.''
Maddux gave up one run and three hits in seven innings, and has won six straight decisions against San Francisco since 2003.
He walked two and allowed an RBI single to Molina in the first - the only run the Giants have scored before the fifth inning
this season - before finding his groove.
''He was just a little bit off but three hits and one run through seven innings, come on,'' manager
Bud Black
said. ''Mentally he doesn't cave in if he doesn't feel good or is a little bit off. Some guys don't fight through that but
he does. Every pitch he tries to get it together. He found it in the middle of the game and toward the end and ended up doing
very well.''
There was a different feel at the ballpark as the banners honoring record home run No. 756 and the Bonds home run counter
were gone. In their place was a plaque honoring Bonds' record-setting homer and a tribute to the four Giants in the 500-homer
club: Bonds, Mays,
Willie McCovey
and
Mel Ott
.
The absence of Bonds must have been especially welcome for the Padres, who allowed 87 of the slugger's 762 career home runs
- more than any other team.
Maddux and Bonds squared off 154 times, with Bonds hitting eight homers off the four-time Cy Young Award winner but none since
1998.
The Giants have struggled to score runs without Bonds and have matched the worst start since the team moved west in 1958.
''It's too early to say we're not good enough, we can't get it done,'' manager
Bruce Bochy
said. ''That's why it's so important to wash all these games off and come out here and be ready to go. It will take a little
time for this team to believe it can win. We need a few wins for that to happen. It hasn't happened yet.''
Cain allowed five runs - four earned - and seven hits with five walks in 4 1-3 innings. He fell to 0-4 in his last seven starts
against the Padres.
Notes: Padres C
Michael Barrett
left with a strained right elbow and went back to San Diego to have it checked out. ... Longtime Giants equipment manager
Mike Murphy
, who began his tenure with the team as a bat boy in 1958, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... Maddux walked two batters
in the first, marking the first time he had a pair of unintentional walks in an inning since June 4, 2006, against St. Louis.
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