Garciaparra Blast Eases a Big Blow

The news they had feared most about Eric Gagne was confirmed Friday, but the Dodgers didn’t let that deter them from their immediate task.

Winning for the fourth time in five games, they rallied for a 9-7 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium, Nomar Garciaparra delivering the key blow a day after being voted onto the National League All-Star team.

Garciaparra, who is second in the league in batting and had extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a run-scoring single in the first inning, broke a 6-6 tie with a two-run home run in the eighth inning, lifting a pitch from reliever Jeremy Accardo deep into the box seats in left field.

It was the first home run given up by Accardo this season.

“I got the barrel on it,” said the Dodgers first baseman, an eye-popping 29 for 52 from the seventh inning on over his last 44 games. “I knew I had it.”

Earlier, it was announced that Gagne was scheduled for surgery today to repair a herniated disk in his lower back, a not-unexpected development that could end the closer’s career-long association with the team.

His teammates, as they had for all but two innings this season, carried on without him, punching out 15 hits and remaining a game behind the division-leading San Diego Padres in the NL West.

Garciaparra and fill-in second baseman Ramon Martinez each drove in three runs, J.D. Drew extended his own hitting streak to 13 games with two doubles, Andre Ethier and Cesar Izturis had three hits and Russell Martin doubled and tripled.

Takashi Saito, who has assumed the closer’s role in Gagne’s absence, gave up a run in the ninth but picked up his seventh save in seven opportunities.

“I could tell early on this had a good chance to be a wild one, and it was,” Manager Grady Little said after the Dodgers had survived Barry Bonds’ 720th home run, twice squandered the lead and rallied anew.

Rookie Chad Billingsley, recalled from the minors last month, made his fifth start and became the 426th pitcher to give up a home run to Bonds. He gave up five runs and six hits while walking four in 5 1/3 innings and is still winless. Danys Baez worked a scoreless eighth inning for the win.

Matt Morris had won his previous four starts for the Giants but gave up six runs and 10 hits in six innings, the Dodgers scoring four runs in the first two innings.

Bonds’ home run, his 12th of the season, was a three-run, third-inning blast into the right-field pavilion, giving the Giants a 5-4 lead.

“I didn’t expect to go the whole season without seeing one of those,” Little said. “We got a glimpse of what he’s been doing for all these years.”

The Dodgers reclaimed the lead, but the Giants pulled even in the seventh on a run-scoring single by Ray Durham, who earlier had homered.

The score was still tied in the eighth when Garciaparra came up with one out and one on. A moment later, the ball was in the seats and the Dodgers led, 8-6.

“You know he’s going to be a super player for the ballclub if he’s on the field,” Little said of Garciaparra, who is batting .359 after going two for five.