Giants in deep against Dodgers

Henry Schulman - San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate)

General manager Brian Sabean might need a ham radio to reach manager Bruce Bochy to discuss any last-minute trades this morning. Bochy plans to be on a trawler with special assistant Felipe Alou and bullpen catcher Bill Hayes, trolling for tuna off the Mexican coast.

If they catch one, Bochy said, "We'll sashimi it up and eat it right on the boat."

Sabean was at Dodger Stadium throughout a three-game series that ended Wednesday with the Giants blanked for the second straight night. Chad Billingsley pitched a five-hitter for a 4-0 victory and his first career shutout.

The game ended in the worst way possible for a team that had not scored in 222/3 innings. Jose Castillo was thrown out at home on Randy Winn's second hit, a single to left. That left Bengie Molina, the one guy capable of popping one and getting the Giants back into the game, standing on deck.

Third-base coach Tim Flannery waved Castillo around and blamed himself, confessing he thought too much about averting another shutout and not enough about winning.

"You play the game by the score," Flannery said. "Tonight, after 14 years, I became a fan instead of a third-base coach for one minute. It was flat-out ... stupid."

With the scoreless streak up to 23 innings, the Giants boarded buses for San Diego, where they begin a three-game series Friday night. All 25 players got on, as the Giants did nothing on Trade Deadline Eve.

Things appeared quiet ahead of today's 1 p.m. PDT deadline. Sabean's cell phone was not glued to his ear, although he still was working.

Paul Turco Sr., one of Sabean's most trusted scouts, was in Minnesota, sitting beside Twins executive Terry Ryan, the former general manager, watching Wednesday's game against the White Sox. That lent credence to a story first reported by ESPN's Jayson Stark that Minnesota, seeking a third baseman, was interested in Rich Aurilia. But a source said the Twins were just as likely looking at a reliever such as Jack Taschner.

Stark said the Twins were offering Boof Bonser, whom the Giants sent to Minnesota as part of the 2003 Joe Nathan trade.

One complicating factor for sending Aurilia to Minnesota is the Twins' interest in Seattle third baseman Adrian Beltre, whom the Giants like, too. A major-league source told The Chronicle that the Twins, Dodgers and Angels have been the most active pursuers of Beltre, whom the Mariners do not plan to part with cheaply.

When Aurilia was asked if he heard the latest rumor about him, he said, "Yeah, I'm going to the Seibu Lions."

Sabean and Dodgers GM Ned Colletti enjoyed a lengthy chat on the field before batting practice. They could have been bemoaning the price of gas. Then again, the Dodgers need a shortstop and the Giants have one available in Omar Vizquel, a notion that might have been discussed.

In Florida, Marlins' first baseman Mike Jacobs was lifted in the sixth inning, fanning speculation he would be part of a deal for Molina. Molina, however, played the entire game Wednesday and is not believed to be going anywhere.

Jonathan Sanchez, considered untouchable in trade talks, was anything but on the field this month. He allowed four runs in four innings Wednesday, finishing July at 0-3 with 20 runs allowed in 21 innings, an 8.57 ERA.

The Giants had a miserable month, as well, going 8-16, their worst July since they were 9-18 in 1995.

Sanchez is having major control issues. He walked Matt Kemp to start the first and third innings. Both times Kemp scored on a Russell Martin single, the second one part of a three-run third. Jeff Kent added a double and James Loney a sacrifice fly. Three of the four runners who scored reached base on walks.

In contrast, the Giants had to scratch for mere hits against Billingsley, the Dodgers' 23-year-old power pitcher. They did not get a baserunner until Molina lined the first pitch of the fifth inning into center field for a single. Aaron Rowand promptly hit into a double play.

The Giants also had a pair of singles by Winn, a single by Aurilia and Castillo's two-out, ninth-inning double. Castillo was the only Giant to reach second base in the team's ninth shutout defeat of 2008, their fourth in July.

Sabean not ruling out shorter-term solutions

Henry Schulman - San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate)

One potential trade target of the Giants can be scratched off the list for now.

According to major-league sources, the Giants were scouting Texas third baseman Hank Blalock, who went on the disabled list with a sore shoulder Tuesday. The Rangers contacted the Giants about Blalock, a 27-year-old with some (but not overwhelming) power. The Rangers covet Giants pitching, including Jonathan Sanchez.

Even though that deal will not go down, it raises an interesting point: General manager Brian Sabean has said he is willing to acquire major-league players, not merely sell those he has, if the deal makes sense for the present and future. But what exactly are the Giants building for? Next year? Or beyond?

Sabean said it could be 2009, so even if the Giants will not rent a player who is eligible for free agency this winter, they would consider a player who is signed for one more year.

"I think you have to be open minded because of the division we're in," Sabean said Tuesday.

Blalock was such a player. So is Seattle third baseman Adrian Beltre, who is signed for $12 million in 2009, the final year of his contract. The Giants like Beltre, believing he would thrive in the more fastball-oriented National League, but a source said they have not exchanged names with the Mariners.

The Giants' belief that they could contend next year in a weak NL West is one reason there is little chance they will trade catcher Bengie Molina, whom the Marlins would love to get. As much as the Giants like Double-A catcher Pablo Sandoval and first-round draft pick Buster Posey (still unsigned), they would be reluctant to head into 2009 without an experienced big-league catcher. Too much rides on that position defensively, and the Giants might not be able to replace Molina's production.

The Marlins are said to be dangling first baseman Mike Jacobs, who has 22 home runs this year. John Bowker, at 24 is three years younger and, in the Giants' eyes, could become a better hitter than Jacobs.

Meanwhile, teams are stepping up conversations about left-handed reliever Jack Taschner, but again, the Giants are reluctant to deal a commodity - namely, a left-handed setup man whom the team can control for the next three years - that would not be easily replaced.

Briefly: Jose Castillo started at second base for the second straight game. Manager Bruce Bochy said the Giants want to evaluate him as a potential second baseman for the future. ...Head trainer Dave Groeschner estimates Noah Lowry might throw off a mound in two weeks if all goes well with his current work.

Cain just can't win against Dodgers

Henry Schulman - San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate)

Does the earth have to move for Matt Cain to get a win against the Dodgers? Apparently even that will not do the trick.

Hours after an earthquake shook Southern California, Cain pitched a fine game for seven innings Tuesday night but fell to 0-5 in eight career starts against Los Angeles, which won 2-0 behind a pitcher lifted from the scrap heap and one of the most bizarre plays to befall the Giants in a long time.

For the sixth time this season, the Giants failed to score while Cain was the pitcher of record, and he fell to 6-9. He held the Dodgers to two runs (one earned), struck out eight and, for the first time in his career, finished consecutive starts without walking a batter.

Cain's control nearly was impeccable. He threw 29 balls and 89 strikes.

"Anytime you get that kind of a pitching effort and don't win it's frustrating," manager Bruce Bochy said for the zillionth time after a Cain start. "He did his job. He did a great job. We just couldn't get the bats going. It's a tough one when he pitched his heart out."

Coming off a four-hit shutout of Washington in his previous start, Cain was equally miserly in the first five innings Tuesday. The 5.4-magnitude quake that rocked Southern California at 11:42 a.m. seemed to shake all the power out of the bats in both dugouts.

The calm of a 0-0 game was shattered in the fourth inning when James Loney hit a shot off Cain's right ankle that ricocheted into the air and landed near the Giants' dugout. But the big horse was OK ... better than OK. He immediately struck out Casey Blake and Angel Berroa.

Cain used his curveball to great effect all night, but it also proved his undoing in the sixth inning. He threw a two-strike, two-out hanger to Loney, who drove it into left field for a single that broke the scoreless tie. Cain was livid with himself, jerking his body in anger as Matt Kemp trotted home from third.

The inning appeared to end when Blake doubled down the left-field line and Loney was thrown out at home. But when Fred Lewis initially bobbled the ball, he created a chaos he hardly could have imagined.

The ball popped off his hands and bounced onto the padding atop the short fence in foul territory. Lewis retrieved it and threw to Omar Vizquel, who threw home - but the umpires ruled the ball crossed the plane into the stands before Lewis grabbed it.

"The ruling on the field was that the ball left the top of the padding and went into the stands," crew chief Greg Gibson said. "Once it's in the stands, it's dead, and both runners advance two bases."

Not only was Loney not out, he was awarded home plate, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.

Bochy argued the ball did not cross into the stands, but Vizquel backed the umpires' version.

"It looked like it went over and Fred grabbed it on the other side," said Vizquel, adding, "I've never seen that play happen before, not even in the highlights."

Coming from a guy who has played in 2,644 major-league games, that is saying something.

Said Lewis: "It was nobody's fault but mine," but he believes he grabbed the ball before it crossed into the stands.

"I was very surprised (by the call)," he said. "It's one of those plays, it makes you want replay in baseball more and more."

Giants hitters will not want to see replays of this game. They were held scoreless for six innings by 34-year-old Jason Johnson, who spent 2007 in Japan and the first half of 2008 at Triple-A Las Vegas. Chan Ho Park and Jonathan Broxton completed the shutout, which actually rendered moot the run scored on the disputed call.

Cain finished July with a 1.88 ERA in six starts. In typical Cain hard luck, he went 2-3.

The Giants are having poor luck with earthquakes. This was their second on the road this season. They were in St. Louis in April when the New Madrid Fault belched a little in nearby central Illinois.

Bochy has been through many and said, "I thought it was a bomb at first. After a couple of seconds, I realized it was an earthquake. There was a pretty good jolt to start it off."

Giants' bullpen makes a stand

RELIEVERS QUASH RALLY, RETIRE FINAL 9 BATTERS

Andrew Baggarly - MercuryNews

Some nights, it takes all 25 guys in the dugout to win.

Or 26, in this case.

A fan ended up in the Giants' dugout before the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on Monday night, sending players scurrying for cover and the security detail into action.

The man was apprehended and handcuffed within seconds. The Giants' bullpen was similarly effective while protecting a long-sought victory for Kevin Correia. Tyler Walker, Jack Taschner and Brian Wilson retired nine hitters in order to wrap up a 7-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"At least the guy stayed for eight innings," said Walker, taking a shot at Dodgers fans known to beat the traffic. "He was one of ours. I guess he just wanted to come in and get some high-fives. I wanted to give him a little butt pat, but I didn't think it would be in good taste."

The Giants had plenty of fannies to pat after nearly blowing a 7-0 lead that would have cost Correia (2-5) his first win since April 10. They committed two errors behind Correia in a five-run fifth, but Sergio Romo stranded two runners to escape the sixth inning with a one-run lead intact.

Still, six outs separated the game from Wilson, and the Giants' setup team had been a demolition crew in recent days.

This time, there would be no wreckage. Walker, demoted from the eighth inning, gave up a 395-foot flyout to Jeff Kent but retired three right-handed hitters. Taschner faced two left-handed hitters among his three batters in the eighth, retiring them all.

Wilson struck out two while converting his National League-leading 28th save. He has converted 19 consecutive chances dating to a May 2 game at Philadelphia. It's the longest streak by a Giants reliever since Robb Nen saved 28 consecutive in 2000.

Before the game, Manager Bruce Bochy told Walker that matchups would dictate how he used his setup men. Walker acknowledged that his numbers against left-handers (.365 average, as opposed to .185 against right-handers) were "pretty ugly."

"It was definitely good to have a nice, clean inning," Walker said. "Feels like it's been a while."

Correia had the same feeling. He retired 12 of the first 13 hitters to win for the first time in 11 starts, though he had his usual black-cloud moment in the fifth.

The inning began with Andre Ethier's chopper that second baseman Jose Castillo bobbled and then threw away for an error. Then came five consecutive hits, the last one a bunt by Juan Pierre in front of the plate that first baseman John Bowker inexplicably charged, leaving nobody to cover the bag when catcher Bengie Molina fielded the ball.

"It seemed I was cursed not to get this win," Correia said. "I started thinking, 'When is this going to turn around for me?' I wasn't going to let it happen."

Correia threw a 3-2 slider to strike out Kent and end the inning.

The Giants had built their lead with nine singles over the third and fourth. Correia even contributed a two-run single.

The Giants had a new teammate in the ninth, when a fan walked onto the dugout roof and sat down with his legs dangling over the edge. Rather than drag him back, security guards yanked him into the dugout and hogtied him.

"I guess you're not supposed to do that," Walker said.

With the trade deadline approaching Friday, Taschner might be pitching his way out, too.

"I've been a Giant since before the turn of the century," he said, smiling. "But if it happens, it happens. All I can control is throwing strikes and how good my beard looks."

Johnson, D'backs hitters overwhelm Giants

Bruce Jenkins - San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate)

If it's any consolation to Barry Zito, there was a better lefty-lefty challenge at China Basin on Sunday than the advertised pitching matchup. The real show was Fred Lewis against Randy Johnson, and, in a sense, both men won.

The game was a composite of the Giants' depressing season, a 7-2 loss to Arizona that thoroughly deflated a crowd of 40,071. After an encouraging start, Zito gave up four runs in the fourth inning and later surrendered a Mark Reynolds homer that was summarily crushed into the left-field bleachers. By the time the Giants put numbers on the scoreboard, Johnson had pitched seven masterful, scoreless innings and the game was well in hand.

Lewis, however, was a champion in defeat. The Giants have become increasingly concerned with the bunion on Lewis' right foot, a harmless-sounding injury that is, in fact, quite serious. There are days, Lewis admits, when "it bothers me so much, I don't feel like running."

Sunday was not one of those days. On an afternoon that raised his average to .280 and his spirits to the skies, Lewis became the first left-handed batter in history to get four hits in a game against Johnson.

All of the hits had the look of authority: first-inning single to center, third-inning single to right, fifth-inning double down the left-field line, seventh-inning double to left-center. And that was only part of the show. Lewis stole second and third in the first inning, only to be left stranded, and he raced to the far left-field corner in the seventh to make a sparkling catch on Chris Burke's flyball.

To top it off, Lewis was at the plate for one of the strangest pitches of Johnson's career. He has had some beauties (who could forget the pitch behind John Kruk at the ... All-Star Game?), but this one surprised even the man himself.

With Lewis leading off the Giants' first and a 1-1 count, Johnson had started his delivery when he heard "some kind of horn" go off in the stands, halting his concentration. Figuring he'd better go ahead and throw, Johnson tossed a high-floating lob that moved so slowly, it didn't even register on the speed gun or the "MPH" slot on the left-field scoreboard.

"I couldn't figure out if it was accidental or on purpose," said Lewis after the game. "I didn't know what that was. Later I was thinking, man, I could have hit that pitch."

Johnson might not be ready to add that pitch to his repertoire, but "if I knew I was going to have that kind of success with it," he cracked after the game, "maybe I should throw it more often."

As the days drag on, it becomes increasingly clear that the Giants are playing for next year, and the seasons beyond. All of the Giants were raving about Lewis' day, and it seems certain that Lewis (who hopes to avoid foot surgery with plenty of offseason rest) has a lock on the left-field job.

Saturday night, meanwhile, had "next year" written all over it. There might be a time when the Giants let Tim Lincecum pitch the full nine innings, but as everyone discovered when the bullpen turned his seven-inning gem into disaster, now is not that time. The Giants thought they needed a revitalizing win Sunday, and Zito (5-13) was upset to have come up short.

"I was just nit-picking out there instead of being aggressive," said Zito, whose three fourth-inning walks (not counting the intentional walk he issued) included one to Chris Snyder with the bases loaded. "There's no excuse for it. Instead of going with the approach that worked for me the past few games, just pitching free and easy, I went back to grinding.

"It's frustrating to let the team down, especially the way things went last night. It was important for me to make a statement, tell those (Arizona) guys we're not gonna roll over, and I didn't do that."

Bullpen takes polish off gem

Lincecum's 13 Ks wasted

Henry Schulman - San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate)

June 6, 2006, was not D-Day for the Giants, but K-Day. That night, Jason Schmidt set a San Francisco record when he struck out 16 Florida Marlins. Hours earlier, the Giants drafted a diminutive but electric pitcher from the University of Washington who now seems destined to break Schmidt's mark.

Tim Lincecum did not get there Saturday night, but a crowd of 37,094 saw him establish his career high by striking out 13 Diamondbacks, the most by a Giant since Schmidt's 16-strikeout game. Lincecum surpassed his previous high of 12, also against Arizona, last year.

In another year, he might have been able to celebrate, but not in 2008. One of the greatest nights in a dismal season quickly turned into the sourest when Tyler Walker, with an assist from John Bowker, blew Lincecum's 3-2 lead in the eighth and was booed off the mound. The Diamondbacks scored three times and won 5-3.

The Giants' 60th loss cost them a shot at their first winning homestand of the season. Instead, they will finish 3-6 or 4-5, depending on Barry Zito's arm and their ability to hit Randy Johnson.

Lincecum wanted his 12th victory. He had to settle for the satisfaction that he more than did his part.

"I haven't been here that long," he said, "but I've seen enough games to know that things are not always going to go your way. The game was exciting, but you're going to run into games that are going to slip away like that, and you try not to get down about that."

"Down" defined Walker's mood after another ill-timed blowup. With the Giants rarely taking leads into the eighth, he has not had the benefit of consistent work to stay sharp, but he made no excuses for blowing a lead his team worked so hard to get against Brandon Webb, who earned his 14th win. Aaron Rowand hit a two-run single in the sixth to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead.

"It's frustrating after we battled back to take the lead against one of the best pitchers in the game," Walker said. "Timmy battled his ass off. I feel I let everyone in this clubhouse down."

Manager Bruce Bochy said he and his staff might talk about changing the bullpen lineup and giving someone else a shot at the eighth inning, although he added, "Right now, the way the bullpen is set up, we think that's the best way."

Bochy occasionally has beaten himself up for removing a starter prematurely. This was not one of those times because Lincecum threw 121 pitches in his previous start and was up to 111 when he struck out the side in the seventh. He also struck out the side in the fourth and two batters in the first (in tough shadows), second and sixth innings.

"The consensus was he was coming off a high-pitch game," Bochy said. "We've got to look after him a little bit here in the second half. We have a setup man and a closer, and they were fresh. We've got to hold it for him."

That went out the window as soon as Walker took the mound in the eighth and allowed a leadoff double by pinch-hitter Augie Ojeda. Stephen Drew reached on Bowker's second error before Chris Young tied the game with a roped sacrifice fly to left. Singles by Orlando Hudson and Conor Jackson gave Arizona a 4-3 lead and finished Walker.

The fans who just had given Lincecum a delirious ovation jeered the native son. Jack Taschner got the final two outs, but one was a Chad Tracy sacrifice fly that gave Arizona its insurance run. When Brandon Lyon got Jose Castillo to fly out in the ninth with a runner aboard, Lincecum's great performance officially was wasted.

Rowand was asked if he experienced a year like this, when good deeds rarely go rewarded. He said yes, that 2004 with the White Sox and 2006 with the Phillies were much like this. But both of those teams finished with winning records before going to the playoffs the following seasons.

Still, Rowand said, "If you're doing the right things and you play the game the right way and go about your business, not only are you gaining experience and positive reinforcement with the successes you have, those are the games that help you grow as a player and help you build off what you're doing for the rest of your career."

The Lincecum Express

Tim Lincecum now has six games with double-digit strikeouts, leaving him only 209 behind all-time leader Nolan Ryan:

SO	Date	Opponent	IP	Result
13	July 26, 2008	Arizona	7.0
12	July 1, 2007	Arizona	7.0	W 13-0
11	April 13, 2008	St. Louis	6.0	W 7-4
11	June 28, 2008	Oakland	7.0	W 1-0
10	May 17, 2007	Houston	7.0	W 2-1
10	May 15, 2008	Houston	6.0	L 8-7

Sanchez no match for Diamondbacks

Henry Schulman - San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate)

All of the head-turning starts from Jonathan Sanchez this season were gravy, because nobody really knew what to expect from the 25-year-old left-hander. His first sustained lull of 2008, while disappointing, could have been predicted.

Sanchez tumbled to his season nadir Friday night with his shortest start of the year. Arizona clobbered him for five runs in the second inning and six runs in 22/3 innings on the way to a 10-2 victory that elevated the first-place Diamondbacks to .500, making the National League West that much less of a punch line.

The result was a huge letdown for the faithful in the aftermath of a three-game sweep against Washington. The Diamondbacks might not be Hercules as division leaders go, but they are not the Nationals either.

After knocking out Sanchez, they completed the rout with back-to-back homers in the seventh by Mark Reynolds and Chad Tracy, producing the first four major-league runs against Geno Espineli.

All of that amounted to overkill for Dan Haren, who has ridden a fantastic wave of pitching since the Giants beat him May 27 and cruised to his 10th win. He allowed two runs on nine hits in eight innings to capture a game the Giants, still clinging to playoff hopes, hoped to have.

"It was a big game," Rich Aurilia said. "When you lose a game 10-2, it means we didn't score runs, we walked too many people, threw a lot of pitches. That's what happened. We've got tough ones (today) and Sunday, too, (against Brandon Webb and Randy Johnson). You just try and put this behind you and win (today's) game."

The biggest plus for the Giants was the combined five shutout innings and eight strikeouts by rookie relievers Osiris Matos, Sergio Romo and Alex Hinshaw. Jose Castillo and Fred Lewis had RBI hits.

After a 5-1 June raised Sanchez's record to 8-4, he is 0-2 with an 8.47 ERA in four July starts. The Giants have lost all four.

In fairness to Sanchez, a pair of potential inning-ending double plays that could not be turned wounded him in the five-run inning. But make no mistake, he is not as right as he was a month ago. His command is shakier and that sneaky fastball that helped him reach 125 strikeouts has been a little more solvable the last few games.

Stephen Drew and Chris Young could attest to that after hitting consecutive two-run doubles in the second. That happened after Chris Snyder hit a two-hopper that looked like a double play off the bat but shot past Aurilia's backhand into left field for a single after taking an odd spin toward Aurilia's body; and after Chris Burke barely beat the relay on another possible double-play ball.

After that, though, Sanchez walked Haren ahead of the two killer doubles.

"I was out of my mind," Sanchez said, still angry with himself for that walk. "I wasn't focused after those plays and just got frustrated. I was just throwing the ball. I wasn't pitching."

Sanchez is laboring to get through innings, too. When manager Bruce Bochy finally got him in the third inning, he had thrown 81 pitches.

All of which raises the question whether Sanchez is feeling the effects of all the innings he has thrown in his first full year as a major-league starter after yo-yoing between the bullpen and rotation the last two years.

Between the majors and minors, he pitched 95 innings in 2006 and just over 75 last year. Already this year he has thrown 119, approaching his career high of 1252/3 from his 2005 season in Class A Augusta, Ga.

Sanchez does not believe he has that affliction called "dead-arm," saying, "I feel fine. I threw 93, 94 in the first two innings."

Bochy concurred, saying, "Actually, I thought he had good stuff. He was pitching so well. He's going to have his off days. He had some rest after the All-Star break. He has worked hard the last couple of games, but he does feel fine."

Remember Cain? Nats want to forget

Hurler delivers four-hit shutout; Roberts singles home lone run

David Biderman - MLB.com
The Trade Deadline is looming and the Giants are active in the market. San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean has declared his veterans and soon-to-be free agents readily available.

The club's young pitchers, though, are off-limits -- and for good reason. Albeit against an offensively challenged Nationals team, Matt Cain showed the locals why Sabean is intent on keeping his baby hurlers.

Toeing the mound with the flu and a five-walk outing in his immediate wake, Cain limited the Nationals to four hits and no walks with four strikeouts in a 1-0 victory on Thursday afternoon, capping both a three-game series and seven-game season sweep against Washington's finest.

Fans have adorned Tim Lincecum with the "franchise" tag, but Cain (6-8) showed that he's still the co-captain of the Giants' future. Sabean reiterated Sunday, the day he traded Ray Durham for two prospects, that he wouldn't deal Cain, Lincecum or Jonathan Sanchez. Cain gave that philosophy extra legitimacy with the way he closed out the Nationals.

After San Francisco scraped together the game's lone run in the eighth, Cain hit a snag in the ninth. He struck out Jesus Flores to get the first out, but allowed back-to-back hits to Willie Harris (single) and Cristian Guzman (double).

Manager Bruce Bochy trotted out to the mound to calm Cain -- see if he was OK to continue.

He was. Ryan Zimmerman popped up to right fielder Randy Winn, who rifled a throw home to keep Harris from tagging and scoring the tying run. Austin Kearns then hit a ball to the same place, Winn made the out and Cain finished his first shutout of the season, the second of his career. The 23-year-old righty didn't walk a batter for the first time since Sept. 16 -- he'd walked 14 in his past four starts alone.

"He had some easy innings and I pretty much made up my mind that it was his day," Bochy said.

Cain knew one swing of the bat by Zimmerman could have ruined his afternoon, and he relished the challenge of retiring him.

"I almost wanted him to beat me," Cain said of his decision to attack the strike zone against the slugger instead of walking him to load the bases and set up a force play at every station. "It would make me feel better to really go at him, to really just challenge him to try to see what he could do."

For the first eight innings, neither team's batters did much of anything. Nationals starter Tim Redding (7-5) threw his first complete game, scattering seven hits with no walks over eight innings.

Aaron Rowand, Steve Holm and Dave Roberts were the only sources of Giants offense, each stroking two singles. Rowand isn't on the trade market; he signed with the club for five years in the offseason. Holm, called up Wednesday from Triple-A Fresno, wouldn't draw much attention even if he were on the block.

Roberts, though, a veteran with a terrific clubhouse presence, could be in the midst of a one-week trade audition. In his first start since landing on the disabled list in early April with a knee injury, Roberts made a leaping catch in the sixth inning and stroked the tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth that scored Eugenio Velez from second base. Velez, running for Holm, had reached second on Cain's bunt.

Showing no rust from his brief rehab stint in the Minors, Roberts singled in his first at-bat despite admittedly not getting many Zs the previous night.

"I was tossing, turning, waiting for the alarm to go off," Roberts said. "I lost a lot of sleep last night looking forward to playing today. Just having the support of my teammates, they were so excited to see me back in the lineup ... it means a lot."

What Roberts did in the game meant a lot to Cain, too.

Working with a slower-than-usual fastball in the low 90s, Cain said he was hitting his spots better than usual. He was forced to focus more on his pitch location because he couldn't rely on his overpowering stuff, which he was without because of his sickness.

Cain's best 2008 performance gives the Giants some much needed momentum heading into a stretch beginning Friday in which they play 12 of 15 games against National League West opponents. Currently in fourth place in the division, seven games out of the lead, San Francisco equaled its longest home winning streak (three games) since April 8-10.

The Giants (43-58) are 20-31 at home, worst in the NL, but they hope the upcoming series against Arizona will end their recent woes at AT&T Park.

If they could play the Nationals more often, they'd probably make a run for the pennant. San Francisco swept the Nationals this season (7-0) and has won 11 of its past 15 games against the club.

If they get more efforts like Cain's from all of their young pitchers, they could make Sabean's recent pitcher-hoarding mind-set look genius.

"It is an invaluable experience for him pitching in the ninth and learning how to close the game," Bochy said. "That is something he can build on. He is a horse out there.

"These guys pitch the way Matt did today," Bochy said of his coveted young pitchers, "we are going to let them go."

Aurilia gets key hit, makes pitch for old guys

Henry Schulman - San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate)

This time of year, older players on losing teams know they could be traded any day. Any big hit, such as Rich Aurilia's decisive two-run double in the eighth inning Wednesday night, could move an executive of a contending team to say, "I want that guy."

After the Giants came from behind to beat the Nationals 6-4, Aurilia reiterated he is not worried about being moved. But his words contained what sounded like a gentle pitch to management to keep players such as himself and Omar Vizquel to guide the kids who choose to mine all of the information that can be had.

"There's a wealth of knowledge in this clubhouse with a few guys," Aurilia said. "I hope people realize that and take advantage of it."

Aurilia spoke after the Giants took advantage of a weak Washington bullpen and scored three runs in the eighth to overcome a 4-3 deficit, clinch a home-series win for the first time since May 9-11 against Philadelphia, beat the Nats for the sixth time in six games this year and deliver Geno Espineli his first big-league win.

"Tonight was a complete momentum boost for us," said Brian Wilson, who had a wacky closer-ish way of explaining why he looked so strong pitching on his second consecutive night and earning his league-leading 27th save.

"I did my running this morning, washed out all of last night from my arm, and I was ready to rock and roll tonight," he said.

With the win, the Giants completed 100 games at 42-58. Last year, they were 43-57, which means the doomsayers were right: They are worse without Barry Bonds.

Something else to consider while giving a shout out to Bonds on his 44th birthday today: Will manager Bruce Bochy really plant Vizquel on the bench in August if he keeps hitting the way he has in this series? Vizquel is 4-for-6 since he had "the talk" with Bochy and general manager Brian Sabean on Tuesday about his curtailed role after the trade deadline.

Already, Bochy is rethinking his plan to rest Vizquel and an equally hot Bengie Molina today. Finally, Vizquel said after his first three-hit game since May 15, he is starting to feel it with the stick.

"I've been feeling better at the plate the last week or so, no doubt," he said. "I feel more comfortable about my swing."

A day after hitting two home runs, Molina hit two RBI doubles to help stake Kevin Correia to a 3-1 lead. Correia could not hold it, allowing a two-run Jesus Flores homer as part of a six-hit, three-run sixth. Pinch-hitter Johnny Estrada's pinch single gave the Nats a 4-3 lead.

After 21/3 shutout innings of relief from rookies Alex Hinshaw, Osiris Matos and Espineli, Bochy had Wilson start to warm up even before the winning rally in the eighth. It began with Molina's third hit, a single against Luis Ayala.

John Bowker drew a one-out walk before Aurilia's electric confrontation against Ayala, which started with two quick strikes and lasted eight pitches. Aurilia fouled off two fastballs and a slider and built the count to 2-2 before blasting a changeup into center field for a two-run double and a 5-4 Giants lead.

"He didn't throw me anything good to hit until the last pitch," Aurilia said. "When you get down 0-2, you've got to put the ball in play. You battle until you get something to hit hard. It felt good getting a big hit after a good at-bat."

Vizquel's double brought Aurilia home with a run that helped ensure the win for Espineli. The tall, side-winding lefty walked his first hitter in the eighth but retired Ronnie Belliard and Willie Harris to keep it a one-run game. In the clubhouse, his teammates gave him the business in the usual Giants way.

"I expected the old-fashioned, corny cream pie in the face," Espineli said. "Instead I got a good 20-beer drenching."

And the Giants got a pair of much-needed wins for the home folk. Never mind they came at the expense of one of the majors' worst teams.

"I was just thinking I can't remember the last time we won back-to-back games at home and a series at home," Aurilia said. "We played decently the last couple of days. Hopefully we can go out tomorrow and do well, too."

Molina's homers ease home blues

Henry Schulman - San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate)

Last time the Washington Nationals came to San Francisco, a zillion members of the press were here - something about somebody hitting his 756th home run. It was much more sedate Tuesday night.

"I don't think ESPN is going to televise this game here," just-activated outfielder Dave Roberts said.

Too bad. The network could have seen Bengie Molina channel Barry Bonds and the Giants accomplish something they rarely do at home: win a ballgame. Molina hit two home runs in a 6-3 victory after failing to go deep since May 27, a drought of 160 at-bats.

Manager Bruce Bochy said he had seen signs Molina was about to bust out of his 7-for-53 slump after making a mechanical adjustment with his hands.

Molina said his work with batting coach Carney Lansford helped and added he has seen the ball better lately.

"I've been through a lot," Molina said. "Having a game like today, I'm not saying how it's going to end up, but it's a step up and a boost of confidence."

Fred Lewis also homered, Barry Zito improved to 5-12 and Omar Vizquel contributed an RBI double and a nice catch on a line drive, hours after a meeting in which Bochy and general manager Brian Sabean explained that the team plans to give Emmanuel Burriss more starts at short after next week's trade deadline.

Eugenio Velez, who will get most of the playing time at second base in Ray Durham's absence, hit an infield single, stole a base and scored a run. When Burriss replaced Velez for defense in the ninth, he made a terrific diving catch to rob Cristian Guzman of a line hit to center, helping Brian Wilson earn his 26th save.

Zito allowed three runs in six innings against one of the four teams he already beat this year. His most critical moment was a strikeout of Jesus Flores to strand a pair in the fifth with the Giants leading 5-3.

"I was bad for a few hitters and good when I had to be," Zito said after improving to 96-5 when getting at least four or more runs of support.

Jack Taschner walked a pair in the seventh, but Sergio Romo retired the last two batters, striking out Austin Kearns on a nasty front-door slider. Tyler Walker pitched a scoreless eighth.

The Giants got off to a powerful start. After homering twice in their previous 12 games, they hit two in the first inning against Jason Bergmann. Lewis opened the game with his first homer since June 16. After Velez hit an infield single, Molina hit his first HR of the night.

Bergmann is no slouch. He had a 1.91 ERA over his previous five starts and in May, pitched more than 19 consecutive shutout innings over three games against the Mets, Phillies and Brewers.

Yet the Giants had him down 3-0. Molina homered again in the fourth.

After the game, backup catcher Eliezer Alfonzo said he was told he was being demoted to Triple-A Fresno. Steve Holm likely will return.

The Giants' youth movement makes over the middle infield. D5

Project Youth

Manager Bruce Bochy, on the Giants' shedding of years:

Second base: The brass has decided that Eugenio Velez -- will get most of the starts now that Ray Durham is gone. The organization had been pushing Velez into the outfield but changed its thinking.

"You have to adjust," Bochy said. "With Ray leaving, we think Velez is a more offensive player. We need to add some offense."

Shortstop: Bochy informed Omar Vizquel on Tuesday that once the trade deadline passes on July 31, Emmanuel Burriss will get more starts. Bochy has said this before, but this time it sounds like he means it.

"Omar was fine with it. He understands," Bochy said. "He wants to help these young players, too."

Outfield: Bochy planned to start just-activated Dave Roberts -- in left field tonight, but the organization still views Fred Lewis as the starting left fielder. Roberts could get more starts if Lewis' bunions force him out of the lineup.

Roberts said, "I can't write myself in the lineup. What I know is that I'm healthy. If I'm in the lineup, I expect to play well. If Freddie is going to play, Freddie is going to play. I'm not going to cause any trouble. I'm going to play baseball and help the Giants win."

Bochy also said center fielder Aaron Rowand and right fielder Randy Winn will get more days off the rest of the way, opening spots for Roberts. Bochy added, "We're still going to be playing to win. You never know in this division. I think they'll be better players if they get days off. If I give them days off, it doesn't mean I'm conceding anything."

Giants looking to deal age to give youth a chance

Henry Schulman - San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate)

After Ray Durham packed his gear, gave clubhouse manager Mike Murphy a tearful hug and joined the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, center fielder Aaron Rowand was asked if he regretted his five-year commitment to a team just beginning a rebuild.

"I said when I signed here, the key is our starting pitching," Rowand said. "That's what's going to make us contend and be able to compete every day. Just because we're going young this season doesn't mean we're not going to try to get free agents in the offseason to make us competitive for next season."

True enough, general manager Brian Sabean should have some money to spend this winter, but on whom? There will be some good hitters available, including Rowand's good friend from the White Sox, third baseman Joe Crede, and Atlanta first baseman Mark Teixeira - but this winter's free-agent class is not going to be a grand bazaar of offensive production.

Moreover, the Giants' play during a just-completed 1-8 stretch against three playoff-caliber teams, the Mets, Cubs and Brewers, drove home the point that they need much more than one big hitter to become a good team.

Other experienced players could be moved by the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline (or even afterward in waiver deals). Rich Aurilia could be attractive to a contending team that needs a versatile right-handed hitter off the bench. Tyler Walker would be a nice fit for a team that needs help bridging its starter and closer.

These, however, are not the type of players who fetch difference-making prospects from other teams. To get those, or better yet, experienced big-league hitters who are not on the verge of free agency, Sabean almost certainly would have to part with the one commodity that gives players such as Rowand so much hope for the franchise's future: young starting pitchers.

On Sunday, Sabean was asked if he will look into significant deals for offense before the July 31 deadline in addition to moving short-timers such as Aurilia or Omar Vizquel. His answer could not have been clearer.

"That's our job," Sabean said. "You have to listen. You never know what's going to get thrown your way. That kind of deal would be attractive. But as we sit here, we're not going to trade our young pitching. The baseball world knows that. Is there a way to strike an accord around that? I don't know."

There are attractive hitters who could be available and are not free agents this winter. They include Seattle third baseman Adrian Beltre, Colorado third baseman Garrett Atkins, and Pittsburgh outfielders Xavier Nady and Jason Bay.

Assuming Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and Tim Lincecum are untouchable, do the Giants have enough in trade to get one of those players? Would another team consider a deal centered on somebody like Nate Schierholtz or one of the Giants' super Class A pitching prospects?

For now, Sabean's plan is to move the older guys and create opportunities for prospects in house so he and manager Bruce Bochy can see what they really have.

As Sabean said Sunday, "It's been a battle of mixing and matching for Bruce's sake to get a lineup on the field to score some runs, and we have to pay due respect to these older guys with contracts because they have to play in order to be able to be traded somewhere else.

"Then we have to integrate the younger guys. The sooner we get the younger guys in there, the more prepared we are doing due diligence with them."

Still, the younger guys who thus far have been blocked, such as Emmanuel Burriss and Eugenio Velez, are not run producers, which is what the Giants need for 2009 and beyond. Schierholtz could be a run producer. He has 60 RBIs in 83 games for Triple-A Fresno. But unless the Giants trade Randy Winn, which Sabean said he is not inclined to do, Schierholtz will remain blocked.

That leaves the Giants hoping that their two best current young players, Fred Lewis and John Bowker, develop into consistent big-league hitters, getting first-round draft pick Buster Posey on the fast track once he signs and some shrewd deal-making from Sabean, who will be challenged to strengthen the offense without weakening the team's greatest asset, its stable of young starting pitchers.

-- Giant tribute: Orlando Cepeda will join Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal - in bronze at AT&T Park. C5

Pair of prospects

Steve Hammond

Position: LHP

Age: 26

Hometown/College: Vallejo/Long Beach State

Size: 6-2, 205 pounds

The skinny: Drafted at age 23, Hammond rose quickly through the Brewers' system and put up good numbers (7-4, 3.45 ERA in 15 starts) this year during his second try at Double-A but was "a little overmatched," in GM Brian Sabean's words, in four starts at Triple-A Nashville (0-4, 7.41). The Giants will send Hammond to Fresno and determine whether he should start or relieve.

Darren Ford

Position: OF

Age: 22

Hometown/College: Vineland, N.J./Chipola (Fla.) JC

Size: 5-11, 192 pounds

The skinny: The speedster is said to be a terrific center fielder and has stolen 186 bases (including 48 this season) in 400 minor-league games. Alas, the right-handed hitter is struggling to get on base. He batted .230 with 88 strikeouts in 343 at-bats before the trade. The Giants have assigned him to Class A San Jose.

Waiting for word

Shortstop Omar Vizquel poses a sticky wicket for the Giants.

On one hand, they surely want to see prospects such as Emmanuel Burriss and Ivan Ochoa at shortstop for the rest of the season. But with Vizquel hitting .166, he might be difficult to trade.

In similar cases, the Giants simply released struggling older players, but they are loath to embarrass a player of Vizquel's stature that way.

If a contending team needs a backup defensive shortstop and a strong clubhouse presence for a playoff push, regardless of his hitting, Vizquel would be a great choice. Vizquel said Sunday he prefers to stay in San Francisco for the rest of the season. He will be watching and waiting ahead of the July 31 trade deadline like everyone else.

"I don't think my season has been what they expected," Vizquel said. "I don't know at what point they're waiting for me to do good. It just depends on what they think, if they really feel I can influence the younger guys by talking to them or guiding them to get better, or whether they're going to start unloading the veteran guys. I don't know where I stand right now."

S.F. can't stomach Brew

Giants lose, get outscored 49-18 in season sweep

Henry Schulman - San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate)

After the Giants' 7-4 loss to Milwaukee on Sunday, Ray Durham boarded the Brewers' bus to start a new life. He truly is going to a better place, at least in 2008.

In handing Tim Lincecum his third loss of the season, the Brewers completed a six-game season sweep of the Giants that bordered on ridiculous and should make fans in San Francisco envious of their brethren in the land of cheddar. The Brewers outscored the Giants 49-18.

"It's a very, very good ballclub," manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's a tough lineup. They have power. They have speed. ... They are aggressive on the bases, and that is why they are contending. You have to play your best ball to beat them, and we didn't."

Sunday's final score was charitable to the Giants. Behind left-hander Manny Parra, a Sacramento native who won his eighth straight decision, the Brewers took a 5-0 lead into the eighth inning.

Lincecum allowed a Corey Hart homer and an RBI single by Parra in the second inning. The 2-0 game became 5-0 in the seventh when Ryan Braun hit a three-run homer on Lincecum's 121st and final pitch, a not-bad inside fastball. Two-run doubles by Aaron Rowand in the eighth and Jose Castillo in the ninth proved to be window dressing.

The Giants mounted little offense against Parra with a lineup that included rookies Ivan Ochoa, Eugenio Velez and Emmanuel Burriss.

Bochy will be criticized for letting Lincecum throw 121 pitches after the whole All-Star flu issue, but Lincecum said he was fine.

"I felt I had all my usual energy back," he said. "I felt lively. I felt good. The outcome just wasn't good. They asked me if I was good to go in the seventh. I said I was. I felt I still had energy and still had stuff."

This is how it has gone for the Giants during a 4-11 July. Lincecum had his two best innings in the fifth and sixth. He started the seventh by losing a curveball that seemed to fly over Rickie Weeks' head as he ducked. Weeks said the ball hit his helmet and home-plate umpire Rob Drake bought it. J.J. Hardy then singled before Braun fought off four two-strike pitches and hit his 24th home run.

Lincecum allowed five runs to match a season high as the Giants ended a 1-8 stretch against three of the best teams in the league, the Mets, Cubs and Brewers.

It's just Durham

Tom Haudricourt - Milwaukee Jounal Sentinel

Steve Hammond/Darren Ford

So, here's the latest word: The Brewers are just getting Giants second baseman Ray Durham, not reliever Jack Taschner.

So, apparently, its minor league outfielder Darren Ford and minor league pitcher Steve Hammond for Durham. I wonder if the Giants also are sending cash to compensate for the approximately $3.5 million Durham has left on his contract. That's a lot of cash to pick up for a bench guy.

Taschner's out on the field, stretching with his teammates, right now. Durham is not.

We're hearing the deal might not be announced until after the game. That's probably because the Brewers will have to make a player move to accomodate Durham. As I said before, I'm guessing Joe Dillon will go down to Nashville.

We'll report the full details when we get them, but that's the way it looks right now.

Brewers near deal for Giants' Durham

GM Melvin unavailable for comment; trade may set up platoon

Adam McCalvy -MLB.com

The Brewers and Giants were poised on Sunday to complete a trade that would send second baseman Ray Durham and possibly left-handed reliever Jack Taschner to Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the Giants would receive a package of players including fleet-footed outfielder Darren Ford from Class A Brevard County and Triple-A Nashville left-hander Steve Hammond.

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin was not available early Sunday to comment on reports that the deal was complete. He is in San Francisco for the three-game series between the Brewers and Giants.

Durham, 36 and a switch-hitter, is hitting .293 this season with a .385 on-base percentage and could be worked into a second-base platoon with Rickie Weeks, who hit a go-ahead two-run single in Saturday's Brewers win but is batting .218 with a .322 on-base percentage.

Durham, who is in the final season of a two-year, $14.5 million contract that will pay roughly $3 million for the remainder of 2008, would have to OK any trade. He did not play in either of the first two games of the weekend series against the Brewers at AT&T Park. The Giants said he had the flu.

Taschner is a 30-year-old Milwaukee-area native who could bolster the back end of the Brewers' bullpen. He surrendered a three-run home run to Prince Fielder in Friday's series opener but has a solid 3.21 ERA this season and 14 walks in 44 appearances. Taschner could qualify for arbitration after this season.

The Brewers were aiming for a three-game sweep of the Giants on Sunday before traveling to St. Louis for a key four-game series that begins Monday night.

Bullpen fails Giants again

Henry Schulman - San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate)

For Giants fans to stay sane in the second half, they must take mental snapshots of the good, such as Saturday's four-run rally against All-Star starter Ben Sheets and Jonathan Sanchez's eight strikeouts.

They then must close their eyes and imagine young starters who can pitch deep into games, an offense that can score like that consistently and a bullpen that can hold leads.

That will require good acquisitions by the front office, smart coaching and better development in the minors. For now, the fans must endure more of what they saw Saturday, the Giants blowing a 4-1 lead against Sheets and losing to the Brewers 8-5.

A four-run sixth against Sanchez and an increasingly flammable Keiichi Yabu gave the Brewers a 5-4 lead.

The Giants needed 25 pitches from reliever Mitch Stetter to push across the tying run in the bottom half, on Randy Winn's bases-loaded infield out. The Brewers needed one pitch from rookie Osiris Matos to untie it in the seventh. Prince Fielder launched a hanging changeup into McCovey Cove for his 20th home run. Corey Hart doubled on the next pitch and eventually scored, too.

That cemented the Giants' eighth loss in the last nine games and 20th in their last 26 home games, a slide that should persuade any final holdouts that this team must start playing for 2009 the minute the July 31 trade deadline passes.

"It's kind of frustrating when we want to win more games," Sanchez said. "This was an easy game to win. We didn't get it. It's not only me. The whole team's got to be frustrated about these games."

Frustration seemed embedded in manager Bruce Bochy's words when he said, "To be honest, what separates good teams from mediocre clubs are games like this. You've got to find a way to win."

The Giants are failing on a lot of fronts now, but the bullpen is foremost on Bochy's mind after Jack Taschner and Sergio Romo each allowed three-run homers Friday night and Yabu could not hold the three-run lead with which he was entrusted Saturday.

"We've got to get some of these guys to step up in the 'pen," Bochy said. "It didn't happen today. Yabu's having a tough time. It's something we've got to talk about."

Through five innings, Sanchez allowed one run and struck out eight, but in the sixth, he lost his release point and walked two to load the bases after Hart hit one of seven Brewers doubles. Sanchez allowed five doubles to go with eight strikeouts.

Enter Yabu, who threw a wild pitch to Jason Kendall that resulted in two runs. Catcher Bengie Molina tried to throw out Hart at the plate. When the ball sailed past Yabu, Bill Hall came home, too. The tying and go-ahead runs scored on Rickie Weeks' two-out double off Yabu, who is not the same pitcher he was before a June 22 game in Kansas City.

Starting with that 11-10 Giants defeat, Yabu has allowed 18 hits, three walks, five hit batters, two wild pitches and 11 runs in his 81/3 innings.

Yabu said Weeks hit a low-and-away slider for the double, and that as long as he keeps the ball down, he should be OK.

The Giants' four-run rally against Sheets in the fourth was encouraging. Aaron Rowand started it with a double, Jose Castillo and Omar Vizquel each had RBI singles and Eugenio Velez doubled home the fourth run.

Vizquel had his best offensive game in awhile, hitting a second-inning double for his first extra-base hit since May 21. Then he left with a badly bruised left foot after fouling a ball off his foot in the sixth.

On the next pitch, Vizquel walked and Bochy had Ivan Ochoa pinch-run and play shortstop over Emmanuel Burriss, an interesting choice. Burriss was a compensation-round draft pick in 2006 and supposedly a big part of the future, Ochoa a career minor-leaguer. Don't the Giants want to see one of their top prospects as much as often as they can?

"It's not a question of prospects," Bochy said. "Ochoa was playing great down there (in Fresno). Emmanuel, sure, he's a prospect, but Ochoa, the way he played down there, he's played himself into a prospect. I could have gone either way there."

Sabathia sees that Giants start second half slowly

Sabathia mows down S.F. lineup

Laurence Miedema - MercuryNews

The flu bug wasn't the only thing that followed the Giants home.

San Francisco opened the second half of the season Friday night at AT&T Park hoping for a fresh start. Instead, the club picked up where it left off last weekend in Chicago when it scattered for the All-Star break.

Coming off a 1-5 trip in which they scored three or fewer runs four times, the ailing Giants' offensive woes were magnified in a 9-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers and their recent playoff-run addition, CC Sabathia.

The Vallejo native produced a dominating complete-game victory against a Giants lineup that was without Ray Durham and Rich Aurilia because of the flu. Sabathia took a shutout into the eighth inning before allowing a home run to Aaron Rowand, one of several other Giants also under the weather.

"It would be nice to get this crud over with and get back to full strength," said Manager Bruce Bochy, whose frustration boiled over in the fifth inning and earned him his fourth ejection of the season.

A return to health would be a start for the Giants, who have lost seven of eight. On a night when infamous - and mostly reviled - anti-mascot Crazy Crab made its first appearance since a 96-loss 1984 season, the squad matched a season-low mark by falling 16 games under .500.

It doesn't get any easier for the Giants, who face National League All-Star Game starter Ben Sheets today.

"We have to figure something out in the next two games against these guys . . . to get ourselves on track," said right-hander Matt Cain, who allowed three earned runs in six innings.

The healthiest of squads would have had a tough time against Sabathia on Friday.

The former American League Cy Young Award winner was acquired from the Cleveland Indians on July 7 to bolster the Brewers' playoff hopes. So far, he's looked every bit like a difference-maker, winning all three of his starts in dominating fashion.

Sabathia faced the minimum through six innings against the Giants. Fred Lewis led off with an infield single, but he was erased on a double play. The Giants didn't have another runner on base until Lewis reached on an error to lead off the seventh inning.

"It's tough to get something going against a guy like that when he's got his 'A' game going," Rowand said. "You just don't get a ton of stuff to hit."

Sabathia, who left 95 tickets for friends and family, allowed four hits and struck out 10 in his second straight complete game. He also lined a double to the center-field wall in the third inning and scored the game's first run. Despite the quick start, he said he's still adjusting to his new surroundings.

"I'm just trying to keep a normal routine," Sabathia said. "I can't say I feel like a Cy Young winner, but I feel pretty good."

Cain (5-8) mostly held up his end of the power-pitching matchup.

The Brewers had seven hits against Cain and he walked five, but he allowed just two runs (one earned) through six innings. Cain struck out five, two coming in a masterful effort to escape a jam in the fifth inning. After allowing a leadoff triple to Ryan Braun, Cain struck out Prince Fielder, induced Corey Hart to ground out to first baseman John Bowker and then ended the threat by making Russell Branyan the 500th strikeout victim of his career.

But Cain's outing unraveled in the seventh. After a leadoff walk, J.J. Hardy lined Cain's 110th pitch of the game off the left-field wall for an RBI double that gave the Brewers a 2-0 lead.

Cain gave way to Keiichi Yabu, who hit Braun with a pitch. Then the Brewers broke the game open when Fielder slugged a three-run homer off the Giants' third pitcher of the inning, Jack Taschner.

Bochy wasn't around to see the collapse. He was ejected in the top of the fifth inning by home plate umpire Jim Wolf after disputing a close play at third base. Earlier in the game, a blown call at first base had led to the Brewers' first run.

"When you are going against a guy like Sabathia, you are not in a position to give up any cheap runs," Bochy said. "That probably caused a lot of the frustration."

The Giants finally broke through in the eighth inning when Rowand hit a 2-1 change-up over the left-field wall. It was Rowand's first home run since June 1, a span of 145 at-bats.

Giants pick nabs Golden Spikes Award

Florida State catcher Posey named top amateur player Bryan Hoch - MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Buster Posey of Florida State University was selected as the winner of the 2008 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, in an announcement made Wednesday at the Sports Museum of America in New York.

In conjunction with the live presentation made in Lower Manhattan, an awards show highlighting the five finalists for the Golden Spikes award was aired simultaneously on MLB.com, usabaseball.com and goldenspikesaward.com.

The presentation at the Sports Museum of America also featured a video tribute to Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig, who was honored with the USA Baseball Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring his contributions to the sport, including the advent of Interleague Play and the Wild Card playoff format, which has helped take MLB into a new and exciting era.

2008 marks the 31st consecutive year that the Golden Spikes Award has been presented to the nation's premier amateur baseball player.

"This is an award that you grow up hearing about all the time," Posey said. "You get to see all of the great ballplayers that have won it, and with the four finalists that were here, they've all had outstanding seasons."

Gordon Beckham, SS, Georgia (Atlanta, Ga.); Aaron Crow, RHP, Missouri (Wakarusa, Kan.); Brian Matusz, LHP, San Diego (Phoenix, Ariz.); and Brett Wallace, 3B, Arizona State (Sonoma, Calif.) were the other finalists. All were invited to New York to enjoy a closer look at the All-Star Game festivities.

"Each year it becomes increasingly more difficult for our selection committee to select just one athlete for the Golden Spikes Award, and 2008 was no different," said USA Baseball executive director and CEO Paul Seiler, who presented the award to Posey at the Sports Museum of America.

"Buster Posey, however, separated himself from the other candidates with an exceptional year both at and behind the plate and as a leader of his Florida State ballclub. We are honored to present him with the 2008 trophy."

Posey, a 21-year-old from Leesburg, Ga., was the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and led the NCAA in batting average (.472), on base percentage (.572) and slugging (.908). Originally a shortstop, Posey is making a transition to catching and has been compared favorably to Major League veteran Brad Ausmus.

"Having the opportunity to play at Florida State has been very important, and having the opportunity to play in the Cape [Cod League] for two years," Posey said. "The more baseball I've played, the more I felt like I've grown, not only physically but mentally. I just have a better understanding of the game the more I play."

Also an accomplished pitcher, the junior led Florida State in saves with six and did not give up an earned run in eight appearances. Posey was named the ESPN Academic All-American of the Year, and he was a member of the 2004 USA Baseball 18U National Team.

The Florida State catcher was also the recipient of Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America and Rivals.com Player of the Year honors, and the 2008 Dick Howser Trophy. He also won the 2008 Johnny Bench Award, presented to the nation's top collegiate catcher.

The San Francisco Giants selected Posey with the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft. He said that he is looking forward to beginning his professional career.

"I feel like I'm starting at the same level as every other guy, every other 21-year-old that's going into their professional career," Posey said. "It's an unbelievable honor. It's humbling. I'm looking forward to it. It's your dream as a kid and I'm excited about it."

Posey's selection marks the second time in the GSA's 31-year history that a catcher has received the award. Jason Varitek (Georgia Tech) was the recipient of the GSA in 1994. He expressed gratitude to his family for their support throughout his development.

"I have three younger siblings, and there's no telling how many miles they've traveled with basketball, football and baseball," Posey said. "It's a culmination. My family taught me to keep a level head and realize that you're never bigger than the game. You just have a respect for the game and work as hard as you possibly can."

Past winners of the Golden Spikes award include current Major League players Tim Lincecum ('06), Alex Gordon ('05), Jered Weaver ('04), Rickie Weeks ('03), Khalil Greene ('02), Jason Jennings ('00), Pat Burrell ('98), J.D. Drew ('97), Mark Kotsay ('95), and Jason Varitek ('94).

Former Major League stars who have captured the award include Robin Ventura ('88), Jim Abbott ('87), Will Clark ('85), Dave Magadan ('83), Terry Francona ('80) and Tim Wallach ('79).

Giants pull out ace in the hole

Henry Schulman - San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate)

Tim Lincecum carried 24 teammates on his skinny back to a much-needed victory Sunday, then flew to New York for his first All-Star Game - and did not sound all that enthused.

"It's a pain in the butt right now," he said. "I've got to fly again, lose an hour, get to New York at 10 o'clock. It'll get hectic tomorrow with all the craziness going on, but I'm ready to take it all in."

The question now is whether Lincecum will be a participant or a spectator at Yankee Stadium. He threw 116 pitches over eight innings and outpitched fellow All-Star Ryan Dempster in a 4-2 victory over the Cubs that ended the Giants' six-game losing streak.

Manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged he probably cost Lincecum (11-2) a chance to start Tuesday by letting him go so long. Bochy also said he sent word to National League manager Clint Hurdle and asked that Lincecum be limited to one inning - and that was before the 116 pitches. Bochy said he will double-check with Lincecum and pitching coach Dave Righetti to make sure The Franchise is good to go.

"It's an honor to pitch in the All-Star Game. I'd hate for him not to get that," Bochy said. "At the same time, we've got to think about what's best for him."

Righetti seemed less concerned with Lincecum going an inning, because Tuesday will be his normal between-starts throw day, and more worried about handing control over his pitcher to someone else, an occupational hazard surrounding every All-Star Game.

Lincecum took a comebacker off the back of his right leg Sunday, and Righetti wants him to tell his dad and the NL coaching staff if the leg or any other part of his body is sore, lest he change his mechanics and endanger his arm by pitching on one day's rest.

Otherwise, Righetti said, "We don't know if he's going to get hurt the whole rest of his career. Pitching one inning in the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium? He should be able to do that."

Lincecum seems to be the least concerned, saying if he does not get to pitch, "whatever." Then, Lincecum revealed he has not watched an All-Star Game and ridiculed the notion that it determines home-field advantage for the World Series.

"It's crazy," he said. "I thought it was supposed to be fun. Now there's pressure on it?"

Talk about pressure. Had the Giants lost Sunday, they would have had an 0-6 trip and five nights to think about a seven-game losing streak. Enter Lincecum, the stopper. He improved to 10-1 following a Giants loss by handcuffing the Cubs over eight innings. He allowed one run and struck out nine, raising his total to 137, tying Juan Marichal for the second most by a San Francisco pitcher going into the break.

Moreover, Lincecum gave the Giants their first lead on the trip with an RBI triple in the third inning, the first by a Giants pitcher since Jesse Foppert hit one in 2003. Lincecum later scored on Ray Durham's two-run single.

The rally began when Omar Vizquel, in a 4-for-60 nosedive, singled for the first of his two hits and stole second. So eager was Bochy to get his offense rolling, he played hit-and-run with Lincecum batting. Lincecum swung and missed, but nobody covered second, so Vizquel had his fourth steal.

After the game, Vizquel categorically denied a Denver Post article that said he might retire during the All-Star break because he was embarrassed with his hitting.

"It's false," he said. "If I ever think about that, the Giants are going to be the first to know."

Fred Lewis, in a 1-for-20 funk, hit an RBI triple in the seventh. Brian Wilson saved his fellow All-Star's victory, another rickety effort in which he allowed a run. His 25 saves are tied for third-most by a Giant at the break.

"If I was a starter, I'd probably average 270, 280 pitches per outing," Wilson acknowledged. "That would be a little stressful."

Wilson's velocity seemed to be down as he walked a batter and allowed two hits. Then it seemed to rise as he struck out Daryle Ward and retired Ryan Theriot on a grounder to end the game.

"I just wanted to go out and throw strikes today," Wilson said. "They hit them, so I'm going to go back to throwing as hard as I can and see what happens."