The Giants got great pitching and terrible hitting. This is not a recording. The good news is -- as it has been so often this season -- the offense did just enough to win. Not just the game, but the series -- the Giants 5th straight winning series. Seriously.
The worst part of watching your team struggle mightily to score is that point they reach where it's in their heads, and it seems they can do everything but score. They hit leadoff doubles (as they Giants did twice today in the later innings of a 0-0 game), they get them to third with less than 1 out (once) or even no outs (once), and still can't score. Guys lineout (once), guys hit shots into double plays (once), and guys hold up on balls that get away far eenough for them to score because they're afraid of being the latest guy to blow a rally (twice). Instead they leave it someone else.
When you're winning 5-0 in the 6th, a lineout to 2B with a man on third is a minor annoyance. When it's 0-0, and the guy on the mound is threatening to take shutouts into the 7th three times in a row without a win to show for it (more on that in a moment), that same lineout is a tragedy worthy of an opera. Schierholtz's lineout to 2B with the potential winning run on third and 1 out was bad luck, but the Giants are also making a lot of that lick -- lewis could've scored on a wild pitch earlier in the AB had he tried it.
And the bad luck leads to bad decisions from the manager, too. Witness Bruce Bochy's decision to PH Bengie Molina for Fred Lewis in the 7th. Rather than have the red-hot Lewis -- 3 rockets on the day for 2 hits: 1 to LF, 1 to CF, 1 to RF -- face a LHP, he went with Molina. This, despite the fact a double play would end the inning, and Molina undisputed King Of The DP. Of course, that's what ended up happening, and the Giants wasted a 1st and 3rd, 0 out situation. It was also their last chance to make a winner out of the suddenly hard luck Barry Zito.
Zito must have caught whatever curse Matt Cain had the last couple of years, because he went winless again, despite going 7 innings and allowing 0 runs twice over the last 3 starts. Both games were 0-0 when he left. That's same serious Cainage right there. Of course, the bright side is that he's pitching not just like the non-embarrassing #4 or #5 starter that I hoped he might turn into, but a real live ace. I doubt that will continue, but I'll enjoy it while it does, and keep hoping when he things finally even out, he'll settle into a middle of the solid rotation guy. While the odds are against that, his peripherals from his last two 7 inning, 0 run outings are encouraging -- 5 K's/0 BB's last time, and 4 K's/1 BB this time.
Just like the last time, the Giants came back to win 1-0 in the 10th after Zito was no longer around. Last time, the winning hit came from PH Bengie Molina. This time, it came from PH Rich Aurilia. The hit scored backup C Steve Holm, who walked and advanced to 2nd on a sac bunt by Randy Winn. Holm had a nice day in his first start of the year, notching a hit, walk and sac bunt while catching a 10 inning shutout. Not bad for a guy who was 0 for 18 in AAA before being called up.
TOMORROW: The Giants fly into Chicago for their only trip to Wrigley Field -- just a 2-game series. Jonathan Sanchez will take the hill against Ryan Dempster. Can the friendly confines of Wrigley awaken the Giants slumbering bats? God, I hope so.
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