04/26/2006 8:58 PM ET Bonds' heroics not enough for Giants Slugger ties game with pinch-hit homer, but Mets win in 11 By Rich Draper / MLB.com Barry Bonds sent the game into extra innings with his two-out, pinch-hit homer in the ninth. (Jeff Chiu/AP) SAN FRANCISCO -- It wasn't a problem for Giants pitcher Matt Morris returning to duty Wednesday after an eight-pitch effort and subsequent ejection three days ago, but in San Francisco's 9-7, 11-inning loss to the Mets at AT&T Park, he faced a surprisingly strong adversary. Mets starting pitcher -- and potent batter -- Brian Bannister. Huh? The pitcher? Unfortunately for the Giants, yes, as the right-hander -- ranked seventh in the National League with a 2.35 ERA entering Wednesday -- stunned Morris by ripping a fourth-inning two-run double and a two-bagger in the sixth that gave the Mets a temporary 4-3 lead. That's the bitter memory Morris takes into Thursday's off-day, as the Giants lost the series, 2-1, despite a dramatic ninth inning when Barry Bonds slugged a pinch-hit, two-run homer that sent the game into extra innings. Ultimately, reliever Scott Munter would take his first loss as New York scored twice in the 11th, but Morris blamed himself for throwing poor pitches in bad locations. "[Bannister] just put a missile down the right-field line and that cost me two runs," Morris said of the pitcher's first bash. "Then a little cutter that I threw down and away ... he went with it again and hit it into the gap. "He did a lot of damage to me, and ended up scoring the winning run at the time," said Morris. "You can't let that happen. You can't let the pitcher beat you." Morris said he hadn't watched video of Bannister -- hey, he's a pitcher -- but his location was off and the hitters were on. Bannister did pay a price in the sixth as he suffered a right hamstring strain scoring on Kaz Matsui's double, and the righty was in pain hobbling toward home. "I felt good physically, and it was good to get back out instead of going on 10 days' [rest]," said Morris, who was ejected after hitting two batters in Sunday's start at Colorado. "I put myself in a hole, and [while the Giants came back], you can't hope for that every time," said the veteran. "I would never say it was bad luck -- I had bad location and was getting myself in trouble. It's the big leagues, and when you make a mistake, these guys are going to jump right on it." One mistake pitch -- a high-90s fastball by Mets closer Billy Wagner -- was crushed by Bonds for his third homer of the season and 711th of his career. The slugger is now only three homers shy of Babe Ruth's career total, and he's obviously feeling healthier and stronger. Was manager Felipe Alou a bit shocked to see Wagner throw to Bonds? "They pitched to Barry with a guy throwing 98, 97," said the manager. "If that guy doesn't pitch to him, who will? We know they bring in the lefty to pitch to Bonds, not to walk him." It was a moment of excitement as the homer tied the game at 7, but it extended the contest long enough for closer Armando Benitez to see action in the ninth . Benitez had thrown only 1 1/3 scoreless frames after recovering from left knee bursitis, and he was lifted after finishing the 10th, in which he walked three batters, one intentionally. "Usually the closer, they like to either win or lose the game," said Alou. "The only reason I went out [to remove Benitez] was because he had thrown 44 pitches. We all know he just started pitching the other day. That was only his third appearance. When he told me he was feeling good physically, I left him in there." The Mets' Julio Franco -- the oldest active Major Leaguer at age 47 -- ripped a two-run single up the middle off reliever Tim Worrell in the eighth, then became the second oldest player to steal a base when he swiped second. The New York Giants' Arlie Latham was 49 when he stole a base in 1909 in Philadelphia. Rich Draper is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. -- 問我為何住西子灣頭 只因滄海是我的鄰居 余光中 作 --

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