Marlins Get Off The Hook Again

New hero, same result.

Moises Alou singled home the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning Wednesday and the Florida Marlins, helped by a lucky bounce, beat the San Francisco Giants for the second game in a row with their final swing, 7-6.

The Marlins took a 2-0 lead in the first playoff series in franchise history. They can advance to the N.L. Championship Series by winning Game 3 Friday at San Francisco.

Florida won in its final at-bat for the 26th time, most in the majors. Edgar Renteria’s bases-loaded, two-out single in the ninth against hard-throwing Roberto Hernandez won Game 1, 2-1.

Hernandez was the victim again Wednesday, taking the loss.

“Certainly our backs are to the wall,” Giants manager Dusty Baker said. “We’re not out of it, but those were two tough games there.”

Gary Sheffield led off the bottom of the ninth with a single and caught Hernandez by surprise, stealing second without a throw. Bobby Bonilla walked, and Alou lined a breaking pitch for a single.

Sheffield got a late jump and center fielder Dante Powell had a play at the plate, but his throw hit the back of the mound and bounced high in the air.

Sheffield scored easily, then jumped into the arms of jubilant teammates as the crowd of 41,283 roared.

“I think the throw had him beat,” Baker said. “But when the ball bounced off the mound, it didn’t have any chance after that.”

Alou had been 0 for 8 previously in the series.

“This was pretty big,” he said of his first postseason RBI. “But there should be a few more bigger hits coming in the postseason, hopefully. It just felt great delivering at the right time.”

The Giants scored an unearned run off closer Robb Nen to tie the seesaw thriller at 6 in the ninth. Nen wound up the winner.

The Marlins improved to 27-4 at home in one-run games. They came from behind to win for the 45th time, and they did it three times, erasing deficits of 1-0, 3-2 and 4-3. Florida also came from behind in Game 1.

The score was tied four times, and the lead changed four times.

Florida was up 6-4 before three defensive misplays helped the Giants come back.

San Francisco closed to within a run in the seventh. Jose Vizcaino’s routine fly became a double when Sheffield misjudged the ball, and Barry Bonds followed with an RBI double.

Florida first baseman Jeff Conine bobbled Darryl Hamilton’s grounder to start the ninth. Hamilton took second on Stan Javier’s single, and following a strikeout, Hamilton scored after second baseman Craig Counsell threw wildly to first trying for a game-ending double play on Bonds’ slow grounder.

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Marlins 7, Giants 6

San Fran Florida

ab r h bi ab r h bi Javier cf 5 2 4 1 Abbott 2b 4 0 1 0 Vzcaino ss 4 1 1 0 Cunsell 2b 1 0 0 0 Bonds lf 4 0 2 2 Rnteria ss 3 1 0 0 Kent 1b 3 0 0 0 Shffield rf 4 3 3 1 MLewis 2b 5 0 3 1 Bonilla 3b 4 1 3 3 RHrndz p 0 0 0 0 Alou lf 5 0 1 1 GHill rf 3 0 0 0 Conine 1b 3 1 1 0 RRdrgz p 0 0 0 0 CJhnsn c 3 1 0 0 Powell cf 0 0 0 0 DWhite cf 2 0 0 0 Mueller 3b 4 0 0 0 ALeiter p 1 0 0 0 BJhnsn c 3 2 1 1 AArias ph 1 0 1 1 Estes p 1 0 0 0 LHrndz p 1 0 0 0 DHenry p 0 0 0 0 Cnglosi ph 1 0 0 0 Benard ph 1 0 0 0 Nen p 0 0 0 0 Tvarez p 0 0 0 0 DHmtn cf 1 1 0 0 Snow 1b 0 0 0 0 Totals 34 6 11 5 Totals 33 7 10 6

San Francisco 111 100 101 6 Florida 201 201 001 7

No outs when winning run scored. E-Counsell (1), Conine (1). DP-San Francisco 1, Florida 1. LOB-San Francisco 8, Florida 10. 2B-Javier (1), Vizcaino (1), Bonds (2), Conine (1). HR-BJohnson (1), Sheffield (1), Bonilla (1). SB-Javier (1), Bonds (1), Sheffield (1). CS-MLewis (1). S-Vizcaino, Estes. SF-Bonds.

San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO Estes 3 5 5 5 4 3 DHenry 2 1 0 0 3 2 Tavarez 2 2 1 1 0 0 RRodriguez 1 0 0 0 0 0 RHrndz L,0-1 0 2 1 1 1 0

Florida IP H R ER BB SO ALeiter 4 7 4 4 3 3 LHernandez 4 3 1 1 0 3 Nen W,1-0 1 1 1 0 1 1

Estes pitched to 4 batters in the 4th, RHernandez pitched to 3 batters in the 9th. WP-ALeiter. T-3:12. A-41,283 (41,855).