Williams wins seventh as Giants beat Dodgers

By Andrew Baggarly
Special to the Advertiser

Jerome Williams (7-5) allowed two first-inning runs but rebounded with five scoreless innings for the victory for the first-place Giants. Associated Press

"Everybody knows this rivalry and the history behind it," said Williams, a Waipahu graduate, who gave up two runs in the first inning but nothing else in the Giants' 3-2 victory last night.

"We wanted to go out and prove to people we belong in first place. We started off slow but in the end, we'll be on top."

One day after surging into first place in the NL West, the Giants extended their lead to 1 1/2 games with their third straight win over the Dodgers. Today, they will try for their first four-game sweep over the Dodgers since 1975.

Ray Durham hit a bases-loaded triple in the second inning, Williams threw five scoreless frames after his early hiccup and four relievers protected the one-run lead over the final three innings.

Williams (7-5) gave up six hits, walked two and struck out two to win for the third time in four starts. The Dodgers scored their runs off Williams when Dave Roberts hit a leadoff triple and scored on Cesar Izturis' single. Izturis stole a base and scored on a single by Adrian Beltre.

"I was flying open and leaving balls up, probably because I had a little too much energy," Williams said. "I wanted to calm down and I was able to do it."