NATIONAL LEAGUE Giants defeat Pirates

Jeffrey Hammonds' seventh inning home run was the difference.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Jeffrey Hammonds feels right at home with the San Francisco Giants.
"I look around this clubhouse and see these veterans who are so confident and feel like they always have something to contribute," Hammonds said after hitting his first homer for the Giants, a two-run shot that broke a seventh-inning tie for a 7-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. "The biggest thing is being able to play with these guys."
Hammonds, who attended Stanford, knew he'd get another chance to play in the majors after getting his release from the Milwaukee Brewers on June 4. He hit .158 with a home run and three RBIs in 10 games but was playing with a high right ankle sprain that landed him on the disabled list.
Hammonds said he wasn't healthy when he was released by the Brewers. He signed a minor league deal with San Francisco on July 2 and was promoted to the majors at the end of the month.
"I'm still not all the way back," he said. "I still have a lot of work ahead of me."
Giants win series
San Francisco won two of three from the Pirates at Pacific Bell Park and have taken 10 straight series against them since May 1999.
"It's disappointing because we came back," Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said. "We had many opportunities. We didn't cash in."
It was 5-all when Jose Cruz Jr. drew a leadoff walk in the Giants seventh from Brian Boehringer (5-3). Hammonds tried to sacrifice but fouled it off before homering into the left-field stands on a 3-2 pitch.
"I just grooved it too much," Boehringer said. "Up to now I've been able to keep the ball down. Today, I couldn't. I messed up. I shouldn't have walked the leadoff guy."
Hammonds was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded during a four-run third. J.T. Snow also drove in three runs for the NL West leaders.
"It seems like good teams have a different guy coming through every day," Snow said. "We have some proven players here who knows what it takes."
Scott Eyre (1-1) pitched a scoreless seventh to pick up the victory. Tim Worrell worked the ninth for his 25th save in 29 opportunities.
Giants starter Jerome Williams allowed five runs -- three earned -- and six hits and matched his season high with five walks in only 51/3 innings.
Major league debut
Pirates starter Ryan Vogelsong, who made his major league debut with the Giants in 2000, lasted 22/3 innings. He allowed four runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout.
"It seems like I have one bad inning every time and I don't know how to stop it," Vogelsong said. "I always seem to be one pitch away from getting out of it."
Salomon Torres was supposed to start for the Pirates, but was scratched Wednesday after straining his right hamstring while shagging fly balls in the outfield.
Jack Wilson added a two-run homer for the Pirates. Wilson has extra-base hits in each of his last two games after getting one in his previous 19.