[ MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ]
Williams makes
quality start
CHICAGO >> Jerome Williams pitched well last night, but came away with another no-decision.
In his third major league start, San Francisco's 21-year-old right-hander from Waipahu allowed five hits and two runs in five innings in the Giants' 5-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
Williams left after five innings with the score tied at 2. He struck out four and walked three, lowering his ERA to 5.74. Williams, recalled from Triple-A Fresno on June 3, had a loss and a no-decision in his previous starts.
Last night's effort was his second consecutive quality start in two appearances since the recall.
"I'm starting to feel real comfortable," Williams said in a phone interview.
He did admit to being jittery for one batter, though: Frank Thomas with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fifth.
"Any kid who ever played baseball always has that fear that one day he'll be in the big leagues with the bases loaded and a big-time hitter coming up," Williams said. "Just hearing that name in that situation got me nervous."
Thomas worked the count to 3-1, but Williams retired him on a short fly to right fielder Jose Cruz Jr.
"I got him on a fastball, straight fastball," Williams said. "(Pitching coach Dave) Righetti told me to challenge him. I said all right."
Williams left after that, and Miguel Olivo and D'Angelo Jimenez hit consecutive homers in the seventh inning as Chicago overcame a long Barry Bonds home run to win for the third straight game and the fourth time in its last five.
Williams said he isn't sure if he's in the big leagues to stay, even if he continues to pitch well.
"The rumor is I'm with the team until the start of the All-Star break," he said. "But we'll see. Anything can happen."
The White Sox are showing signs of turning around what has been a disappointing season.
"Hopefully, we turned the corner and we can string some more together," Jon Garland said.
Garland (4-5) struck out a season-high seven over seven innings in the first game that counted between the teams since Chicago beat the New York Giants 4-2 in the 1917 World Series -- the last Series title for the White Sox.
"Truthfully, I didn't feel that good. I missed a lot of my spots," Garland said. "Pretty amazing."
Garland allowed two runs and five hits. He has struggled this season but looked strong, striking out the side in the first inning and breaking several bats.
"That's my sinker," he said. "That's the one pitch that worked for me tonight, and I continued to throw it."
With the score 2-all, Joe Nathan (6-3) walked Paul Konerko leading off the seventh. After a sacrifice, Felix Rodriguez relieved, and Olivo and Jimenez homered for a 5-2 lead.
J.T. Snow hit an RBI single off Billy Koch in the ninth before Edgardo Alfonzo hit into a game-ending double play.
Snow said it was a tough night for most of the Giants because it was their first time against Garland.
"You can watch all the video you want, you can read all the scouting reports you want," he said, "but until you get up there and see what kind of action his ball has" it's difficult.
Bonds put San Francisco ahead 2-0 in the fourth inning with his 16th homer, a drive to the back of the bleachers. It was estimated at 475 feet, the fourth-longest in the 12-year history of the ballpark, according to the White Sox.
"I missed right out over the plate," Garland said. "As long as I got the guys around him I was going to be all right, and for the most part I did that."
Chicago intentionally walked Bonds his next time up, even though there were two outs and none on.
Run-scoring singles by Brian Daubach and Carlos Lee off Williams tied the score in the bottom of the fourth.
"We're getting some big hits," White Sox manager Jerry Manuel said. "I think that's the key for us."
Jerome Williams' stats
The Waipahu alumnus' numbers after three starts
Opponent Date Result IP H R BB K Philadelphia April 26 L 5 5 5 5 3 Minnesota June 4 ND 6 2/3 5 3 3 6 Chicago White Sox June 10 ND 5 5 2 3 4
Record IP H R BB K ERA Totals 0-1 16 2/3 15 10 11 13 5.74
White Sox 5, Giants 3
At Chicago
San Francisco AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Grissom cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .312 Durham 2b 4 1 1 0 0 2 .323 Aurilia ss 4 0 1 0 0 0 .263 Bonds lf 3 1 1 2 1 1 .311 BSantiago c 3 0 1 0 1 0 .300 2-Feliz pr 0 1 0 0 0 0 .232 Galarraga dh 4 0 1 0 0 2 .359 Snow 1b 4 0 2 1 0 1 .277 3-Benard pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 .189 Alfonzo 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .217 JoCruz rf 3 0 0 0 0 1 .259 Totals 33 3 7 3 2 9
Chicago AB R H BI BB SO Avg. DJimenez 2b 4 1 2 1 0 1 .288 Valentin ss 3 1 1 0 1 2 .235 Thomas 1b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .287 Rowand cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .133 Daubach rf-1b 4 1 1 1 0 1 .213 Lee lf 3 0 2 1 1 0 .264 Rios cf-rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .215 Konerko dh 2 0 0 0 1 0 .192 1-Graffanino pr-dh 1 1 0 0 0 0 .260 Crede 3b 2 0 1 0 0 1 .221 Olivo c 2 1 1 2 1 1 .258 Totals 29 5 9 5 4 6
San Francisco 000 200 001 -- 3 7 0 Chicago 000 200 30x -- 5 9 0 1-ran for Konerko in the 7th. 2-ran for Santiago in the 9th. 3-ran for Snow in the 9th.
LOB--San Francisco 5, Chicago 5. 2B--Galarraga (4), Snow (11), Valentin (12). HR--DJimenez (7), off FRodriguez; Olivo (4), off FRodriguez; Bonds (16), off Garland. RBIs--Bonds 2 (37), Snow (29), DJimenez (22), Daubach (7), Lee (38), Olivo 2 (10). S--Crede. GIDP--Alfonzo, Rios 2.
Runners left in scoring position--San Francisco 2 (Grissom, Galarraga); Chicago 2 (Thomas 2). Runners moved up--JoCruz, Thomas.
DP--San Francisco 2 (Durham, Aurilia and Snow), (Durham, Aurilia and Snow); Chicago 1 (Valentin and Daubach).
San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA JeWilliams 5 5 2 2 3 4 92 5.74 Eyre 1 1 0 0 0 1 12 3.28 Nathan L, 6-3 1/3 0 1 1 1 0 8 3.74 FRodriguez 0 2 2 2 0 0 12 4.40 Christiansen 2/3 1 0 0 0 1 10 27.00 Zerbe 1 0 0 0 0 0 9 5.50
Chicago IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Garland W, 4-5 7 5 2 2 1 7 102 5.29 Gordon H, 6 1 0 0 0 0 2 11 4.25 Marte H, 5 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 3 1.09 Koch 2/3 2 1 1 1 0 16 5.13 FRodriguez pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.
Inherited runners-scored--FRodriguez 1-1.
IBB--off Garland (Bonds) 1. Balk--JeWilliams.
Umpires--Home, Bruce Dreckman; First, Brian Runge; Second, Ed Montague; Third, Brian Gorman.
T--2:51. A--23,837 (47,098).
