Mercury News
The best way the Giants could recover from last weekend's four-game debacle at Coors Field was to pretend it never happened.
When they took the field against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night, they had a chance to wipe out that series in the standings as well as their minds. A victory over Arizona would have moved the Giants within two games of Colorado in the wild-card race — exactly where they stood when they first stepped foot in Denver last Friday.
But the Diamondbacks had spoilage on their minds. A whole warehouse full of it. While they pushed tacks into No. 5 starter Joe Martinez, Arizona right-hander Yusmeiro Petit overmatched an undermanned lineup and the Giants lost 11-0 at AT&T Park.
Manager Bruce Bochy's pregame patter usually involves the phrase, "Every game is important this time of year." It's not a bumper sticker phrase, but you can't argue with it.
The Rockies have six games remaining at AT&T Park, including a three-game series that begins today, but Bochy rejected the notion that his players got caught looking a day ahead.
Martinez's shoulders sagged after he served up a booming home run to Mark Reynolds that soared over the 404-foot sign in left-center and landed 12 rows up. It was just a solo shot in the fifth inning, but it marked the end. Martinez allowed the next two batters to reach before rookie Brandon Allen hit a three-run shot.
That would be Martinez's final pitch of the night. He got pounded for eight runs in 41/3 innings. "He had some pretty good stuff but just made way too many mistakes," Bochy said. "He's young, thrown in from Double-A. It's a pretty good jump for him." The Giants are looking for a pitcher who can bring more experience to the back end of their rotation, and according to reports, they are one of several teams interested in right-hander Brad Penny. Penny was placed on release waivers by the Boston Red Sox and is due to clear Monday. He would be free to sign with any team for a prorated portion of the major league minimum, or barely $100,000. The Florida Marlins also reportedly have interest in Penny, who might prefer returning there. Bochy said the staff would discuss the rotation, and after the game, general manager Brian Sabean and Dick Tidrow, the club's top pitching mind, filed into Bochy's office. In case you haven't noticed, the Giants have some offensive problems, too. Their lineup was without Bengie Molina and Pablo Sandoval for the third consecutive night. Aside from Molina's pinch three-run home run Wednesday night, the Giants have scored one run over two games. They had one legitimate shot to rally, loading the bases for Aaron Rowand while trailing 4-0 in the fourth inning. Rowand struck out looking on three pitches and a crowd of 28,575 showered him with boos. Despite a brief glimmer on the last trip, Rowand has a .235 average since the All-Star break and is on pace to drive in just 67 runs. With three more seasons remaining on his five-year, $60 million deal, his contract might be replacing Barry Zito's as the most reviled by the fan base. "Put it this way: You play in Philly, you can play anywhere," Rowand said. "... "I'm still confident in what I'm doing, and I'll say this: I'm a lot harder on myself than any of the fans sitting in the seats are on me." From: MLB.com
 Arizona (56-72) Won 1 | Arizona 11, San Francisco 0 |  San Francisco (69-59) Lost 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Standings thru 8/27/09 | Recap: ARI | SF | Gameday | Diamondbacks stats | Giants stats |
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