SFGate/San Francisco Chronicle
The inability to score runs, particularly on Barry Zito's watch, is prompting some emotional reaction in the Giants' clubhouse.
Manager Bruce Bochy complimented Zito for another solid start Tuesday night but was unflattering when addressing the offense, saying, "It comes down to executing, and we were awful tonight."
Catcher Bengie Molina added, "We wasted another great outing by a pitcher. That's just how it is."
Zito threw his first complete game since 2003 and the Giants' first complete game of the year - albeit eight innings - while giving up five hits, including solo home runs by Scott Hairston and Nick Hundley. They were the difference in the Giants' 2-1 loss to the Padres.
Last time the Giants were here, they were swept in their first three road games of the season, the first leg of a 0-6 trip through Southern California. Zito lost the opener in that series, too, his 2009 debut.
The lefty was far better Tuesday and received defensive help from second baseman Emmanuel Burriss and left fielder Fred Lewis, who made diving stops. But the mistakes to Hairston and Hundley, a fastball and changeup, respectively, were costly only because his run support, lowest in the majors, was almost nil again. In eight starts, the offense has provided him 10 runs.
"I guess he's the guy this year who can't get runs," said Bochy, no doubt recalling Matt Cain's troubles.
Zito wasn't complaining.
"That's the way baseball is," he said. "You give your team a chance to win. It's still early in the season. We've just got to grind. Nothing productive coming out of me getting frustrated."
The Giants were 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position - 0-for-11 in the first four innings, not an easy task. Their only run came when Burriss beat second baseman David Eckstein's throw to first in the sixth, preventing the Padres from completing an inning-ending double play and enabling Lewis to score from third.
After his previous start, Zito said he expected to be reunited with Molina for Tuesday's game. Sure enough, Molina caught Zito for the first time since April 16, Zito's second start of the season.
After that, Zito turned around his season by posting a 2.20 ERA in five starts while working with catchers Pablo Sandoval and Steve Holm. "Barry, for me, always has been fun to catch," Molina said. "I enjoy catching him."
The offensive woes notwithstanding.
"It's the whole team," Molina said. "I'm not going to sit here and say it's so-and-so. It's about the whole team. We've got to go out there and hit, myself included."
Padres starter Chris Young hadn't allowed an earned run to the Giants in two previous starts this year (covering 14 innings), and Bochy sat Aaron Rowand (0-for-10 off Young) and played Eugenio Velez (5-for-9) in center. Velez got hits in his first two at-bats.
Bochy also played Aurilia instead of Travis Ishikawa. Aurilia struck out in his first two at-bats (once with a runner on third and one out) but singled in the sixth to advance Lewis to third, setting up the Giants' first earned run off Young in 2009, breaking a streak of 19 innings.
BRIEFLY: Infielder Juan Uribe will return from bereavement leave today and likely will be activated Thursday to play shortstop that night, Bochy said. Shortstop Edgar Renteria still is expected to return Friday in Seattle. ... Joe Martinez played catch for the first time (five minutes from 70 feet) since taking a liner off his head April 9.
From: MLB.com
 San Francisco (19-19) Lost 1 | San Diego 2, San Francisco 1 |  San Diego (17-22) Won 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Standings thru 5/19/09 | Recap: SF | SD | Wrap | Gameday |
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