Aurilia Proves Baker’s Hunch

Dusty Baker looked at stat sheets Sunday morning and thought it would be a good game to start Rich Aurilia.

“He was hitting .313 and swinging the bat with authority. So why not?” the San Francisco manager said.

Aurilia responded with the first two-homer game of his career and matched career highs with four hits and four RBIs as the Giants pounded major league earned-run average leader Tom Glavine and defeated the Atlanta Braves, 12-8.

“You can never feel safe against the Braves with a one or two-run lead,” Aurilia said. “This is a real big victory for us. You never want to get swept four straight. We battled today, Atlanta battled, the good thing is we kept fighting.”

Aurilia, who has only 12 homers in 508 at-bats during four seasons, hit a solo homer in the third, an RBI single in a four-run fourth and a two-run homer in the sixth off Brian Edmondson.

“It would have been devastating to lose four to the Braves, then have to go to Florida,” Baker said. “But Rich had the big, big day. He has leveled off his swing and he tells me he can feel improvement in bat speed at the end of his swing. Give him another 100 at-bats to really toughen his hands and he’ll be something.”

Aurilia, who shares the shortstop position with Rey Sanchez, raised his average to .348. He’s now seven for 10 against Glavine.

“My change was terrible,” Glavine said. “I just couldn’t get it down. Every time I threw it, I hung it and they hit it. “

It was the most runs off Atlanta since last Sept. 3 against Detroit and the most by an NL team since Florida won, 12-1, on Sept. 24, 1996.

Glavine, who had won his four previous starts, saw his ERA rise from 1.06 to 2.13. He gave up seven runs--five earned--and eight hits in four-plus innings, his shortest start since Cincinnati chased him after three innings last July 26. It was the most runs he has given up since a 9-7 loss to the Mets last July 11.

“It’s difficult to be effective with my only pitch a fastball,” he said. “We’re disappointed not to get the sweep, but three out of four isn’t bad.”

Michael Tucker homered, doubled twice and drove in four runs for the Braves, which had won five in a row and 14 of 17. Tucker had four homers, three doubles and seven RBIs in the series.

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