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.