Giants rest several players but blank Brewers

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Even with Barry Bonds and other key players

resting, the San Francisco Giants still had no trouble beating the

hapless Milwaukee Brewers.

Kirk Rueter pitched six scoreless innings and Rich Aurilia

homered Sunday as San Francisco won 5-0 to drop Milwaukee to 0-6

for the first time in its history.

Manager Felipe Alou held Bonds, Ray Durham, Benito Santiago and

J.T. Snow out of the starting lineup, but the Giants still matched

their 6-0 start of a year ago when they went on to win the National

League pennant.

Reserves Andres Galarraga and Yorvit Torrealba each scored a run

and had an RBI, and Neifi Perez scored a run. Perez played second

and also made a great defensive play to end a Brewers threat.

"We've got a great bench, one of the best in the game,'' said

Edgardo Alfonzo, who left the game in the eighth with a mild groin

sprain. "Every time you get a day off, you feel comfortable.''

Alou was comfortable resting so many regulars because he had

Rueter (1-0), his opening day pitcher, on the mound. He continued

his mastery of Milwaukee, allowing five hits and four walks.

In 10 career starts against the Brewers, Rueter is 7-1 with a

1.78 ERA. He also had two hits and an RBI.

"We've got outstanding guys, veterans that have been everyday

players, on the bench,'' Rueter said. "We don't lose much when

they are out there.''

Wayne Franklin (0-1) made his first start of the season for

Milwaukee, but had control problems. He walked the leadoff hitter

in three of the first four innings and fell behind other hitters

much of the day, giving up four runs, seven hits and four walks in

six innings.

"It's not as tough as when they've got Bonds in there, but it's

still pretty tough,'' Franklin said. "Pretty formidable.''

Unlike Franklin, Rueter was able to pitch out of trouble,

getting Jeffrey Hammonds out in key situations. With two outs and

runners at first and second in the first, Hammonds struck out. He

flied out in the same situation in the third inning.

Hammonds, the Brewers highest-paid player at $8.2 million this

year, hit into a double play in the sixth after Richie Sexson led

off with a single. Hammonds is hitting .167 (4-for-24) with one

RBI.

"He's tough,'' Brewers manager Ned Yost said of Rueter. "We

just didn't do anything against him today. He gave us a lot of

problems.''

In the seventh, reliever Jim Brower got Sexson to ground out to

end the inning with the bases loaded. The Brewers left 11 men on

base.

Milwaukee has been shutout twice in its worst start to a season.

Yost said he wasn't too concerned about getting the first win.

"I'm not talking about one win,'' he said. "One win is

nothing. I'm talking about putting together a number of wins.''

Rueter was the first left-handed starter the Brewers have faced

this year, but last season Milwaukee was 9-23 against lefties.

San Francisco scored the only run it needed in the second.

Alfonzo walked and Torrealba tripled to make it 1-0.

In the third, Aurilia hit his first homer to make it 2-0.

Galarraga walked to open the fourth and moved to third on

Torrealba's double. One out later, Rueter hit a high chopper for an

infield single, scoring Galarraga. Marquis Grissom followed with a

single to make it 4-0.

Galarraga's infield single scored Perez from third for an

unearned run and a 5-0 lead in the seventh.

Game notes
Detroit is the only other winless team, also 0-6. ... Snow

entered in the seventh during a double switch. ... Alfonzo said he

would play in Monday's game against San Diego. ... It was the first

time in six games that the Brewers had given up fewer than six

runs. ... The Brewers and Giants will not play again until Sept.

12-14 in San Francisco. ... It is the first time the Giants have

started a season 6-0 on the road. ... Giants RF Jose Cruz Jr. has a

six-game hitting streak to open the season.