Henry Schulman
SF Gate/San Francisco Chronicle
The Giants had two Jonathan Sanchezes last season, one who started 8-4 and the other who had a sore arm, ran out of gas and finished 1-8.
The Giants got a taste of both in Sanchez's first start of 2009. He was electric for four innings, striking out five of his first six hitters and matching Jake Peavy lightning bolt for lightning bolt.
Then, Sanchez collapsed in a four-run fifth inning that settled a 6-3 loss to the Padres, who have taken the first two games at Petco Park in an early statement that the Giants' 13-5 domination of last year's season series was a one-time deal.
Peavy struck out 10 and fell two outs short of a complete game in his first win. Tim Lincecum seeks his today while the Giants seek to avert a sweep.
Sanchez's loss completed the first cycle through the Giants' rotation, and the results were not pretty. Matt Cain had a great first outing in his win against Milwaukee, one run in seven innings, but the other four starters were 0-3 with an 8.64 ERA. Cain was the only one to see the sixth inning.
"That's not going to work. We know that," manager Bruce Bochy said. "I think once we get this thing going they'll get a rhythm. Sanchez was right there the first four innings. That's a good sign. That said, we're going to need more innings from out starters."
A pattern is emerging for the hitters, too. They have totaled 17 runs in their two wins and eight over their three losses. It has been feast or famine, particularly for the young corner infielders.
Pablo Sandoval and Travis Ishikawa are 1-for-7 in the series after good starts against Milwaukee. Ishikawa struck out three times Friday.
Of course, the opposing pitchers might be a factor. Two of the three losses came against Milwaukee's ace-in-waiting, Yovani Gallardo, and Peavy.
Last week, Sanchez called Peavy "just another pitcher," Sanchez's way of saying he can compete with anybody. Peavy is just another pitcher two years removed from a Cy Young Award, and he looked it as he held the Giants to three runs in 81/3 innings innings.
A Randy Winn double and Edgar Renteria single led to a fourth-inning run, which Winn scored on a botched Padres pitchout. Fred Lewis tripled and scored the second run in the seventh on Bengie Molina's sacrifice fly. Winn and Lewis doubled in the ninth.
Sanchez could not solve Padres backup catcher and fellow Venezuelan Henry Blanco, who hit two home runs. When Blanco hit his second to give San Diego a 2-1 lead in the fifth, Sanchez became angry and unglued. He was overthrowing as he walked Peavy, allowed a Scott Hairston infield hit that Sandoval bobbled and walked David Eckstein.
With two outs, Adrian Gonzalez finished Sanchez with a three-run double.
"It's hard to throw better than he threw before the fifth," Bochy said. "He got out of his delivery in the fifth. That's something we've talked about and he's got to improve on. It's a 2-1 ballgame (after Blanco's second homer). We're right in it. That's what he's got to get better at."
Sanchez admitted that homer unnerved him.
"When you're losing the game you've got to do more," he said. "I was angry. I just wanted to get everybody out after that. I was going against Peavy. I had to do my best out there."
 San Francisco (2-3) Lost 2 | San Diego 6, San Francisco 3 |  San Diego (4-2) Won 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Standings thru 4/11/09 | Recap: SF | SD | Wrap | Gameday |
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