Giants Get Power From Rare Source

MIAMI — As Barry Bonds sat and watched, an improbable power surge gave the San Francisco Giants a jolt.

Third baseman Bill Mueller and pitcher Shawn Estes hit their first major league home runs Tuesday, leading San Francisco to a rain-shortened 9-1 victory over the Florida Marlins.

J.T. Snow hit his second home run for the Giants, who tied season-high totals with three homers and 14 hits, including 10 against Alex Fernandez (5-6).

“Very strange,” Manager Dusty Baker said.

The game was called because of rain with one out in the top of the seventh inning after a 1-hour 16-minute wait.

The Giants, last in the major leagues in hits, did all their damage without their best batter. Bonds, who said Monday he shouldn’t be allowed to wear a uniform because of his sub-par play, took a day off for only the second time this season.

“To do this without Barry Bonds is nice,” Snow said. “We know he’s going to get going soon and do what he’s capable of doing, and we’ll be all the better when he does.”

Estes (8-2) led off the Giants’ six-run fifth inning with a homer.

“Once I hit it, it was weird,” he said. “I was trying to hit each base and not stumble.”

Mueller admitted being envious.

“I was sitting on the bench thinking, ‘Man, Shawn’s got a home run before I do,’ ” he said. “I said, ‘You can’t have one without me having one.’ ”

One inning later, Mueller hit a solo homer, his first homer in 322 career at-bats. Snow’s solo homer in the fourth had put the Giants ahead, 2-1.

Six consecutive Giants reached base with one out in the fifth. Mueller singled, Stan Javier doubled and Jeff Kent singled in two runs. Fernandez departed after walking Snow, and Glenallen Hill greeted Rob Stanifer with a two-run triple. Rick Wilkins followed with a run-scoring single to make the score 8-1.

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