Freddy Sanchez signs for 2 years

Henry Schulman
SFGate/San Francisco Chronicle
The Giants made their first significant player move of the offseason Friday, re-signing second baseman Freddy Sanchez to a two-year, $12 million contract.

On the other side of the infield, the Giants would like to re-sign Juan Uribe, and general manager Brian Sabean has begun talks with Uribe's agent. However, a quick resolution is unlikely.

"I get the sense he's going to test the free-agent market," Sabean said.

In another move that was expected but might carry some emotional weight, the Giants cut ties with popular but injured pitcher Noah Lowry by declining his $6.25 million club option for 2010 and placing him on outright waivers.

They also outrighted long reliever Justin Miller. Like Lowry, Miller can become a free agent.

Senior vice president of baseball operations Bobby Evans said the Giants would not "close the door" on re-signing either pitcher. Given Lowry's perception that the team misdiagnosed the injury that has cost him more than two seasons, his return seems less likely.

The two-year deal for Sanchez eliminated his $8.1 million option for 2010 and instead pays him $6 million for each of the next two seasons.

The Giants traded pitching prospect Tim Alderson to the Pirates for Sanchez on July 29. The second baseman's two months with San Francisco were sabotaged by cartilage damage in his left knee, an injury that occurred before the trade, and a shoulder sprain that occurred afterward. He played in only 25 games for the Giants and hit .284.

Sanchez, 31, had knee surgery in September and said the joint "feels great. It feels almost like it never happened." He also said he just began rehabilitating his sprained shoulder.

The career .299 hitter called his contract extension "a big deal for me. Obviously, they gave up a pretty high prospect for me. I feel there's a lot of work to do to show what I'm capable of doing when I'm on the field. I try to be as loyal a person as I can. Being part of the San Francisco Giants' family, hopefully I can do what they traded for me to do."

Sabean said when Sanchez was healthy, "he certainly played up to our scouting reports and expectations. It's unfortunate he ran into not being able to stay on the field, because he really would have helped the ballclub."

Manager Bruce Bochy expects Sanchez to hit second or third. If he hits third, one presumes Pablo Sandoval would hit fourth, which means the Giants were not able to find a powerful cleanup hitter via trade or free agency.

The Giants are expected to make a run for Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay, but otherwise, Sabean said he sees a "later-developing market. We don't have a relative sense of urgency like last year, which will play in our favor."

Sabean reported having "some level of conversation" with each of the Giants' potential free agents, including Uribe, Bengie Molina and Randy Winn, to let them know where they stand.

The Lowry move ends a sad saga for the Giants and the 29-year-old left-hander. A first-round draft pick in 2001, he became one of the team's most popular players and led the team with 14 wins in 2007, when his season was curtailed by arm numbness. He has not pitched since then, but agent Damon Lapa said Lowry now is "completely healthy" and throwing three days a week.

Giants' Posey wins '09 Spink Award

Catcher skipped Double-A, dominated at San Jose, Fresno Danny Wild MLB.com
Giants catcher Buster Posey, who ascended from Class A Advanced San Jose to the Majors in less than six months, was named the winner of the 50th annual J.G. Taylor Spink Award as the Topps/Minor League Player of the Year for 2009 on Tuesday.

Posey, 22, rose through the Giants' system after splitting his second pro season with San Jose and Triple-A Fresno. The Leesburg, Ga. native, who hit .351 in 10 games as a rookie in 2008, batted .325 with 84 runs scored, 80 RBIs, 18 home runs, 31 doubles and a triple in 115 Minor League games before making his big league debut with San Francisco on Sept. 11. The Florida State product was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2008 Draft by the Giants and had no trouble proving himself as a pro. He dominated the California League to begin the season, batting .326 with 13 homers and 58 RBIs in 80 games with the Giants despite missing time after getting hit in the head in June.

Posey was named California League Hitter of the Week on April 20 after beginning the season batting .405 with 10 RBis in his first 11 games. He fell a triple shy of the cycle on April 26 and drove in 14 RBIs in a six-game span from May 18-23.

The Giants ended weeks of speculation on July 14 when Posey skipped Double-A Connecticut and joined Fresno in the Pacific Coast League. He was ranked as the No. 5 Top Prospect in the Minors by MLB.com at the July 31 Trade Deadline after beginning the season at No. 14.

The former Hawaii Winter Baseball All-Star quickly adjusted to Triple-A pitching, batting .321 with five home runs and 22 RBIs in 35 games with the Grizzlies, driving in a run in each of his first four games. He matched a season high with four RBIs on Aug. 4 against Tacoma and homered for the second straight game the next day. With a dozen hits over a seven-game hitting streak Aug. 31, the Giants finally called up the 6-foot-1 backstop.

Posey, who ranked 14th in the Minors with a .416 on-base percentage, appeared in seven games with the Giants and collected his first Major League hit in his second gameas a pinch-hitter against the Dodgers on Sept. 19. He reached base in his first eight starts with Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League this month.

The award, named after J.G. Taylor Spink, the publisher of The Sporting News from 1914 to 1962, is awarded by the Topps Company of New York in conjunction with Minor League Baseball. Brewers infielder Mat Gamel won the award in 2008. The Baseball Writers Association of America also present an award in Spink's name annually for meritorious service in baseball coverage.

Lincecum named top NL pitcher by TSN

Giants righty earns award in second consecutive season

Chris Haft
MLB.com
Tim Lincecum often has said after a routinely excellent performance that it's not what you've done that counts; it's what you're doing now.

That mindset preserves Lincecum's diligence, which in turn has prompted him to sustain the excellence that led the Giants right-hander to be named National League pitcher of the year by The Sporting News on Wednesday for the second consecutive season.

Lincecum posted a 15-7 record this year, a slight dip from his 18-5 finish in 2008, when he captured the NL Cy Young Award. But the panel of 31 Major League general managers and assistant GMs who cast ballots for the TSN honor were among the observers who looked beyond the 25-year-old's wins and losses.

"In a lot of ways, he was actually better," Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti said.

Lincecum trimmed his ERA from 2.62 to 2.48. Opponents hit .206 off him this season, compared to .221 in '08. After walking 84 in 227 innings a year ago, he improved to 68 walks in 225 1/3 frames this season.

The NL's starter in this year's All-Star Game, Lincecum validated that status by leading the league in strikeouts (261) and quality starts (26) while ranking second in ERA and opponents' batting average and third in innings. He also tied teammate Matt Cain for the league lead with four complete games and joined four other pitchers atop the NL list with two shutouts.

Said Righetti: "I think the first thing that comes to mind is, how do you top last year? Part of being a professional is to repeat. For him to be able to do that this early in his career is a tremendous feat, really."

Weakened by a bout with bronchitis during Spring Training, Lincecum yielded seven runs and 14 hits in 8 1/3 innings spanning his first two starts of the season. Concerns evaporated in his next two outings, both against the D-backs. He worked eight innings in each, surrendering one run and 10 hits while walking one and striking out 25.

Other highlights of Lincecum's season included a two-hit shutout at St. Louis on June 29 and a four-hit 4-2 triumph over Pittsburgh on July 27 in which he struck out a career-high 15.

The TSN award might bode well for Lincecum's chances in the Cy Young race, though the honors obviously are exclusive of each other. The Cardinals' twin aces, Chris Carpenter (17-4, 2.24 ERA) and Adam Wainwright (19-8, 2.63), are considered the NL's strongest Cy Young contenders besides Lincecum.

Lincecum couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Giants' great Jansen dies

TomFitzGerald
SFGate/San Francisco Chronicle
Larry Jansen, who twice won 20 games during his eight years with the New York Giants and was the winning pitcher in relief when Bobby Thompson delivered his pennant-winning home run in 1951, died Saturday at his home in Verboort, Ore. He was 89.

Jansen didn't get to the majors until he was 26, and it took a 30-6 season with a 1.57 ERA for the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League in 1946 to get him there. He completed 31 of his 38 starts that year. As a rookie with the Giants in 1947, he went 21-5, leading the National League in winning percentage (.808).

In 1951, he led the Giants with 23 wins and helped their legendary comeback against the Brooklyn Dodgers, although he lost his only two decisions of the World Series. That season he threw the last pitch of Joe DiMaggio's career. He twice came close to winning 20 again before arm troubles kept him from playing a major role in the Giants' championship 1954 season.

He spent 11 years (1961-71) as the San Francisco Giants' pitching coach and helped develop Hall of Famers Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry, along with Mike McCormick and Jack Sanford.

He is survived by his wife, Eileen, and 10 children, 23 grandchildren and 40 great-grandchildren.

Comment: Mike Lovell
TalkinGiants Baseball
In addition, Jansen was the winning pitcher in the 1951 playoff game versus the Brooklyn Dodgers famous for the"shot heard around the world"...Bobby Thompson's famous walk off home run.

Sabean, Bochy discuss coming season

Manager, GM talk contracts, improvements for 2010

Chris Haft
MLB.com
Though general manager Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy sounded eager Monday to plunge into what seems to be a promising future with the Giants, neither has begun serious talks with the club's hierarchy about a contract extension.

During the Giants' annual end-of-season summary news conference at AT&T Park, Sabean said that he and Bochy will review the 2009 season together. Once that's done, they'll meet with managing general partner Bill Neukom, who reportedly is prepared to retain Sabean, the Major Leagues' longest-tenured GM, and Bochy, who led the Giants to an 88-74 record that ended a streak of four consecutive losing seasons.

Neukom has repeated that he wouldn't publicly announce a decision on Sabean's and Bochy's futures with the Giants until after the regular season.

Sabean said that once he and Bochy meet with Neukom, which could happen later this week, "there will be some sharing and caring. But I can definitively say this: There are no contracts in place. There aren't any commitments to having any contracts in place. Bill has been true to his word and we have been fine with the repeated schedule that it was going to happen in due course, and, frankly, we are both still under contract. So things will take care of itself, but you also have to understand that in this case you have to have three parties agree: the organization, myself and Boch."

Nevertheless, Sabean and Bochy addressed a wide range of personnel issues and related topics that will affect whether the Giants continue to improve next season, including: the challenge of adding an accomplished hitter or two; the free-agent status of catcher Bengie Molina, second baseman Freddy Sanchez and right-hander Brad Penny; whether prospects Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner are ready for the Major Leagues; and the impending payroll squeeze caused by salary arbitration cases with pitchers Tim Lincecum, Brian Wilson and Jonathan Sanchez, among others.

Sabean acknowledged the need to obtain a competent hitter who would help give the Giants "more consistency, at least one through five" in the batting order. Preferably, Sabean said, that hitter would be a selective type who could complement the free swingers currently dominating the lineup. "The team is going to have to take on a little different personality," said Sabean, who became GM on Sept. 30, 1996.

Sabean said that the payroll, which hovered around $85 million, won't change much next year. But don't expect the Giants to outbid all rivals for the sparse number of available free-agent sluggers, such as St. Louis' Matt Holliday and Boston's Jason Bay.

"We are going to be challenged in the market," Sabean said. "I can't mention names, but you know the names that are going to be out there. There's going to be huge action on them, including from their incumbent teams."

Sabean admitted that the Giants will "agonize" over the wisdom of trading one of their prized starting pitchers for a big hitter. He stopped just short of declaring All-Star right-hander Matt Cain completely off-limits.

"It's very difficult to get value back for a position player with that type of pitcher," Sabean said. Noting that Cain is under control for two more years, due to an option the Giants hold on his 2011 contract, Sabean theorized that virtually any hitter the Giants might get wouldn't have as favorable a contract. Besides, he added, teams tend to want more than a front-line pitcher for a middle-of-the-order hitter.

One way or another, management believes that the Giants must find a bat to sustain the momentum they launched this year and upgrade the offense that ranked 13th in runs scored, 14th in slugging percentage and last in on-base percentage among National League teams. "We need to ... show this group that we're trying to take it to the next level," Sabean said.

Re-signing Freddy Sanchez, who played only 25 games with the Giants after being obtained from Pittsburgh just before the Trade Deadline, appears to be part of that plan. Despite the shoulder and knee injuries that dogged Sanchez, Sabean sounded as if a deal to retain the 2006 NL batting champion "once his contract gets worked out" is a foregone conclusion.

Sabean expressed hopes of keeping Molina, who hit .265 with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs. He also voiced doubts about being able to do so, since Molina could be the most sought-after free-agent catcher on the market. "There's going to be more than the Giants interested and there are going to be teams that may be able to offer more years or salary than [us]," Sabean said. "So it's a complicated issue, but he certainly did his part and he deserves due consideration."

Sabean called re-signing Penny a "possibility," pointing out that the pitcher chose the Giants over the Yankees and Twins after Boston designated him for assignment. But Penny could command an increase from his $5 million base salary, which might be more than the Giants can afford.

That's because Lincecum, Wilson and Jonathan Sanchez are arbitration-eligible for the first time and are thus guaranteed huge raises. Lincecum might even exceed the record $10 million awarded Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard through arbitration in 2008. Even if the Giants manage to gain cost control by signing Lincecum to a multiyear deal, the ace pitcher might receive eight figures annually or close to it. "Their party won't have any downside, believe me," Sabean said.

Both Sabean and Bochy were upbeat about Posey's development after barely more than one professional season. But Posey probably needs more experience before becoming an everyday catcher in the Majors. "It's probably the toughest place on the field to break in a younger player," Sabean said. Of course, whatever the Giants decide regarding Posey influences their efforts to re-sign Molina.

Sabean expressed skepticism about Bumgarner's readiness for the Majors. He pointed out that the left-hander just turned 20 and hasn't pitched at Triple-A, though he recorded a 1.80 ERA in four late-season appearances with the Giants. "Do I think he's a Major League pitcher? Stuff-wise, yes," Sabean said. "But it would be a big leap of faith to count on him or to forecast that he'll be in the rotation." Sabean also said the issue was better suited for a "roundtable discussion" with his staff.

Panda ends season with blast

Henry Schulman
SFGate/San Francisco Chronicle
The Giants' surprising season had just ended with a 4-3, 10-inning victory Sunday when Kevin Mitchell darted into the clubhouse toward Pablo Sandoval. They shared a hug, the 1989 National League Most Valuable Player and a possible future MVP, a Boogie Bear and a Panda Bear.

"Panda, man, I knew he was going to strike today," Mitchell said.

Symbolically, the season could not have ended any other way. Sandoval led off the 10th inning with a 444-foot, home run to center to break a 3-3 tie. Brian Wilson then secured the Giants' 88th win with his 38th save. Also appropriate, Wilson struck out Chase Headley and Kevin Kouzmanoff with two aboard to end it.

The Giants finished their first winning season in five years at 88-74, fifth best in the league and good for third place in the West, seven games behind the division-winning Dodgers. Their 16-game turnaround from 2008 was their best since a 22-game improvement from 1996 to 1997.

Game 162 featured a lot of goodbyes and potential goodbyes. Rich Aurilia flied out in his final at-bat with the Giants and was given a gift by teammates who cheered him in the clubhouse. Randy Winn also flied out in his final at-bat, robbed by a sliding catch.

Randy Johnson's Hall of Fame career might have ended with a blown save. An unearned run against him cost Jonathan Sanchez a victory. However, Johnson's season and perhaps career ended with a critical strikeout of 40-homer man Adrian Gonzalez, the 4,875th of the Unit's career.

But this game ultimately belonged to Sandoval, whose final swing of the year produced a game-winning home run and a bunch of round numbers. It raised his final long-ball count to 25, his RBIs to 90 and his batting average to .330. He finished second in hitting to Florida's Hanley Ramirez, who ran away with the batting title at .342.

"That's just temporary," Mitchell said of Sandoval's numbers. "That's just to let them know, 'I'm coming.' "

When a reporter recited those numbers to Sandoval, the 23-year-old scrunched his face as if to acknowledge he had a special first full season in the majors and said, "I can't believe it. Every time I went to my house, I just wanted to say thank you to God for giving me the chance to play baseball every day. I'm excited to be in the big leagues and do that well."

Sandoval was excited to have all his bones intact after a scary incident on the play that tied the game in the seventh inning. He caught a pop foul by David Eckstein and flipped over the railing of the Giants' dugout head-first. A crowd of teammates raced over to try to catch him.

Bochy addressed players before the game to thank them for their effort, which clearly extended into the season's final game.

They dispersed for the winter with a sense of accomplishment, as well as longing for the few extra wins that would have gotten them to the postseason.

"I think in the years coming up to this one we made smallish strides," Tim Lincecum said. "We didn't know what our identity was as a team. Now we're finding that."

With the season over, the onus on relieving the frustration shifts to the front office, now charged with finding some punch the Giants desperately lacked in 2009. They scored 657 runs, only 17 more than last year's 90-loss team.

Assuming some offense is added, the Giants will go into 2010 with heightened expectations.

"That's what you want," Bochy said. "We want to go into next year expecting to win and play good baseball. It's a lot better than going in the other way, when you're not expected to do anything."

Lincecum and Matt Cain helped raise the bar.

Before the game, Cain walked across the clubhouse and asked Lincecum to sign a baseball. They embraced, and Lincecum said, "It was fun. Let's do this again."

From: MLB.com

San Francisco (88-74) Won 1	San Francisco 4, San Diego 3 Today's Boxes 10/4/09 DET 5, CWS 3 NYM 4, HOU 0 CIN 6, PIT 0 WSH 2, ATL 1 BOS 12, CLE 7 PHI 7, FLA 6 BAL 5, TOR 4 NYY 10, TB 2 MIN 13, KC 4 MIL 9, STL 7 ARI 5, CHC 2 LAA 5, OAK 3 LAD 5, COL 3 SEA 4, TEX 3	San Diego (75-87) Lost 1
	October 4, 2009 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E San Francisco 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 12 2 San Diego 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 3 5 0
	Standings thru 10/4/09 | Recap: SF | SD | Wrap | Gameday

San Francisco AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Velez, E, LF 5 2 3 0 0 1 0 .267 Torres, RF-CF 4 0 2 0 1 2 2 .270 Sandoval, P, 3B 4 1 2 1 1 0 3 .330 Uribe, SS 5 0 1 1 0 1 5 .289 Garko, 1B 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 .268 a-Ishikawa, PH-1B 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 .261 Rowand, CF 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 .261 Medders, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Johnson, R, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .077 b-Bowker, PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .194 Affeldt, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 c-Aurilia, PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .213 Wilson, B, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Rohlinger, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 3 2 .158 Whiteside, C 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .228 Sanchez, J, P 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 .073 Winn, RF 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .262 Totals 39 4 12 2 3 14 17 a-Struck out for Garko in the 6th. b-Grounded out for Johnson, R in the 8th. c-Flied out for Affeldt in the 10th. BATTING 2B: Uribe (26, Ramos, C). HR: Sandoval, P (25, 10th inning off Webb, R, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Velez, E 3; Torres 2; Sandoval, P 5; Uribe 2; Garko; Rowand; Whiteside; Sanchez, J. RBI: Uribe (55), Sandoval, P (90). 2-out RBI: Uribe. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Garko; Uribe 2; Torres. GIDP: Uribe; Sandoval, P. Team RISP: 4-for-11. Team LOB: 8. BASERUNNING SB: Velez, E 2 (11, 2nd base off Gregerson/Hundley, 2nd base off Bell/Hundley), Torres (6, 2nd base off Russell, A/Hundley). FIELDING E: Garko (5, missed catch), Velez, E (9, fielding). PB: Whiteside (5). DP: (Uribe-Rohlinger-Ishikawa). Pickoffs: Sanchez, J (Cabrera, E at 1st base). San Diego AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Cabrera, E, SS 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 .255 Eckstein, 2B 5 1 1 2 0 1 4 .260 Gonzalez, A, 1B 3 0 0 0 2 2 2 .277 Headley, LF 3 0 0 0 2 1 2 .262 Kouzmanoff, 3B 5 0 1 0 0 2 4 .255 Salazar, O, RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 .302 Bell, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Webb, R, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Thatcher, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Hundley, C 4 1 0 0 0 2 2 .238 Durango, CF 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 .545 Gwynn, CF 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .270 Ramos, C, P 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Russell, A, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-Gonzalez, Ed, PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .216 Gregerson, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 b-Rodriguez, L, PH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .202 Adams, M, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Macias, D, RF 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .197 Totals 34 3 5 2 5 8 21 a-Grounded out for Russell, A in the 6th. b-Hit a sacrifice bunt for Gregerson in the 7th. BATTING HR: Eckstein (2, 6th inning off Sanchez, J, 1 on, 1 out). TB: Cabrera, E; Eckstein 4; Kouzmanoff; Durango; Gwynn. RBI: Eckstein 2 (50). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Durango; Salazar, O; Gonzalez, A 2; Kouzmanoff. S: Rodriguez, L. GIDP: Macias, D. Team RISP: 0-for-10. Team LOB: 8. BASERUNNING CS: Cabrera, E (8, 2nd base by Sanchez, J/Whiteside). PO: Cabrera, E (1st base by Sanchez, J). FIELDING PB: Hundley (7). Outfield assists: Durango (Uribe at home), Headley (Whiteside at 1st base). DP: 3 (Eckstein-Cabrera, E-Gonzalez, A, Cabrera, E-Eckstein-Gonzalez, A, Headley-Gonzalez, A). San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Sanchez, J 5.1 3 2 2 4 3 1 4.24 Medders (H, 8) 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.01 Johnson, R (BS, 1) 1.0 1 1 0 0 2 0 4.88 Affeldt (W, 2-2) 2.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.73 Wilson, B (S, 38) 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 0 2.74 San Diego IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Ramos, C 4.1 9 3 3 1 3 0 3.07 Russell, A 1.2 0 0 0 1 3 0 3.65 Gregerson 1.0 0 0 0 1 4 0 3.24 Adams, M 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.73 Bell 1.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 2.71 Webb, R (L, 2-1) 0.1 1 1 1 0 0 1 3.86 Thatcher 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.80 IBB: Gonzalez, A (by Wilson, B), Sandoval, P (by Gregerson). HBP: Cabrera, E (by Johnson, R). Pitches-strikes: Sanchez, J 90-54, Medders 14-9, Johnson, R 12-10, Affeldt 21-12, Wilson, B 16-9, Ramos, C 73-50, Russell, A 24-16, Gregerson 20-13, Adams, M 12-10, Bell 17-13, Webb, R 4-3, Thatcher 9-7. Groundouts-flyouts: Sanchez, J 6-6, Medders 0-1, Johnson, R 1-1, Affeldt 4-2, Wilson, B 1-0, Ramos, C 8-1, Russell, A 0-2, Gregerson 0-0, Adams, M 1-0, Bell 0-1, Webb, R 0-1, Thatcher 0-1. Batters faced: Sanchez, J 22, Medders 2, Johnson, R 6, Affeldt 6, Wilson, B 5, Ramos, C 20, Russell, A 6, Gregerson 5, Adams, M 3, Bell 4, Webb, R 2, Thatcher 2. Inherited runners-scored: Medders 2-0, Russell, A 1-0. Umpires: HP: Dan Iassogna. 1B: Larry Vanover. 2B: Sam Holbrook. 3B: Mike Winters. Weather: 67 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 17 mph, L to R. T: 3:09. Att: 25,082. October 4, 2009 Box score official statistics approved by Major League Baseball Office of the Commissioner

Giants offense missing again in 2-0 loss

Andrew Baggarly
Mercury News

Brian Sabean officially became the longest tenured general manager in the major leagues on Saturday.

The only GM who'd served longer with one club, Kevin Towers, received his walking papers after 14 seasons in charge of the San Diego Padres. The Toronto Blue Jays fired J.P. Ricciardi after an eight-year reign, too.

And Sabean insisted that contrary to published reports, he continues to await word from managing partner Bill Neukom on whether he will have a job after his contract expires on Oct. 31.

"I haven't been told anything," Sabean said, before the Giants' 2-0 loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. "Bill's timeline was after the season and that's still the timeline."

Towers' creativity as a trade artist could be an asset in the Giants front office, perhaps as an assistant GM with a trumped up title, but Sabean couldn't comment on that possibility.

"I have to know what's happening with my situation first," Sabean said.

Giants Manager Bruce Bochy, whose contract expires after Sunday's season finale, also has not received an official invitation to return from Neukom.

But a club source said new contracts for Sabean and Bochy are a foregone conclusion and that Neukom hasn't given any indication he wants to change his baseball architect or field boss.

Sabean and Bochy are scheduled to attend a season wrap-up news conference at AT&T Park on Monday, but because contract terms must be negotiated, it could be several days longer before the club would be prepared to make official announcements.

This whole issue probably boils down to semantics. Sabean is preparing to conduct his staff meetings in Arizona in the coming weeks, as he usually does after a season. And Bochy continues to look at young players like Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner, trying to determine their readiness to begin next season.

When asked about Bumgarner's two innings Saturday, Bochy gave an insight into his job expectations, saying, "We'll discuss Madison this winter and what's the best plan for him."

Saturday's loss sent an important reminder to the front office: The offense needs fixing this winter.

The Giants managed two hits off Wade LeBlanc and two relievers, failing to provide the support Matt Cain needed in the quest to win his 15th game.

Cain (14-8) labored at the end of a long season, throwing 107 pitches in five innings. But he kept the Padres from doing major damage, limiting them to two runs while stranding seven baserunners.

Cain was amused to learn that he equaled his career high of 2172/3 innings, which he established last season. He said he felt physically stronger down the stretch this year, and pitching in a pennant race for the first time should make him mentally tougher for next season.

There were some late-inning shenanigans that the Giants and Padres might file away for next year, too. The Giants' Waldis Joaquin plunked shortstop Everth Cabrera in the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth, Padres closer Heath Bell buzzed a first-pitch fastball at Pablo Sandoval's chin and the Giants' third baseman hit the dirt.

Sandoval took a long time getting back in the box, clearly annoyed at being a target of bean balls several times from multiple teams this season.

"The thing about Pablo, you're not going to intimidate this kid," Bochy said.

After the loss, most of the Giants players checked the score of the Los Angeles Dodgers' game before leaving the clubhouse.

But Sandoval sat by himself in his sliding shorts on the edge of a couch, watching as the Dodgers recorded the final outs to clinch the NL West title. Sandoval padded to the shower as the TV showed the Dodgers piling on each other.

Maybe next year, a Panda will lead the celebration.

From: MLB.com

San Francisco (87-74) Lost 1	San Diego 2, San Francisco 0 Today's Boxes 10/3/09 CHC 5, ARI 0 NYM 5, HOU 1 MIL 5, STL 4 LAA 4, OAK 2 FLA 4, PHI 3 MIN 5, KC 4 WSH 6, ATL 4 CWS 5, DET 1 BAL 6, TOR 3 TB 5, NYY 3 BOS 11, CLE 6 CIN 8, PIT 4 SEA 2, TEX 1 LAD 5, COL 0	San Diego (75-86) Won 1
	October 3, 2009 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E San Francisco 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 San Diego 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 X 2 7 0
	Standings thru 10/3/09 | Recap: SF | SD | Wrap | Gameday

San Francisco AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Velez, E, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 2 1 .261 Torres, LF 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 .264 Sandoval, P, 3B 3 0 1 0 1 1 2 .329 Uribe, SS 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .290 Garko, 1B 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 .267 Rowand, CF 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 .260 Posey, B, C 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .118 Schierholtz, RF 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 .267 Cain, P 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .150 a-Guzman, Je, PH 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .250 Bumgarner, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 b-Lewis, F, PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .258 Joaquin, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 29 0 2 0 2 12 5 a-Singled for Cain in the 6th. b-Struck out for Bumgarner in the 8th. BATTING TB: Sandoval, P; Guzman, Je. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Sandoval, P. Team RISP: 0-for-1. Team LOB: 4. San Diego AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Gwynn, CF 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 .268 Eckstein, 2B 2 1 1 0 2 0 0 .261 Gonzalez, A, 1B 4 0 3 1 0 0 2 .279 Headley, LF 3 0 1 1 1 1 3 .263 Venable, RF 4 0 0 0 0 1 8 .256 Kouzmanoff, 3B 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 .256 Hundley, C 4 0 0 0 0 2 3 .242 Cabrera, E, SS 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 .254 LeBlanc, P 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .077 a-Durango, PH 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .625 Adams, M, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 b-Macias, D, PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .200 Bell, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 30 2 7 2 3 8 19 a-Singled for LeBlanc in the 7th. b-Struck out for Adams, M in the 8th. BATTING TB: Gwynn; Eckstein; Gonzalez, A 3; Headley; Durango. RBI: Headley (64), Gonzalez, A (99). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Kouzmanoff; Hundley 2; Venable 2. S: Gwynn. Team RISP: 2-for-9. Team LOB: 10. San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Cain (L, 14-8) 5.0 6 2 2 1 5 0 2.89 Bumgarner 2.0 1 0 0 2 1 0 1.80 Joaquin 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4.22 San Diego IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA LeBlanc (W, 3-1) 7.0 2 0 0 1 8 0 3.69 Adams, M (H, 15) 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.75 Bell (S, 42) 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 0 2.75 IBB: Headley (by Bumgarner). HBP: Kouzmanoff (by Cain), Cabrera, E (by Joaquin). Pitches-strikes: Cain 107-77, Bumgarner 32-17, Joaquin 17-10, LeBlanc 89-57, Adams, M 11-8, Bell 19-12. Groundouts-flyouts: Cain 5-5, Bumgarner 2-3, Joaquin 1-0, LeBlanc 6-7, Adams, M 1-0, Bell 0-1. Batters faced: Cain 23, Bumgarner 9, Joaquin 4, LeBlanc 24, Adams, M 3, Bell 4. Umpires: HP: Mike Winters. 1B: Dan Iassogna. 2B: Larry Vanover. 3B: Sam Holbrook. Weather: 66 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 7 mph, L to R. T: 2:32. Att: 25,732. October 3, 2009 Box score official statistics approved by Major League Baseball Office of the Commissioner

Turnaround season ends painfully for Zito

Andrew Baggarly
Mercury News

Barry Zito turned catcalls to cheers in his third year as a Giant, but a respectable season came to a sudden, painful and ultimately lucky end Friday night.

Zito was struck just below the left elbow by a line drive in the sixth inning of the Giants' 7-2 victory over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. The left-hander reflexively held both arms in front of his chest as he was struck by Adrian Gonzalez's vicious liner, which caromed high in the air.

X-rays were negative, Zito was diagnosed with an elbow contusion, and he should be fine to make his next start. It helps that his next start won't come for seven months.

Zito can't wait for that day.

"I think I made a lot of strides," said Zito, who finished 10-13 with a 4.03 ERA — his best in three seasons after signing a seven-year, $126 million contract.

"For the most part, I got back to doing the things I was used to doing. "... I maintained my delivery and mechanics the whole year. I'm definitely excited. I'm not going to be tinkering too much."

This is a time for the Giants to experiment, though. They will use this final series to evaluate younger players and puff up their winning record.

Making sure they didn't go 0-for-2009 at Petco Park? That had to feel good, too.

Juan Uribe hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning to begin a six-run rally as the Giants won their first game in seven tries by the light of the gaslamps here.

Pablo Sandoval hit his team-leading 24th homer in the fourth inning and Buster Posey scored his first major league run in the seventh as the Padres kicked the ball around the infield. The Giants knocked out former teammate Kevin Correia, whose streak of 231/3 scoreless innings was interrupted by Sandoval's homer.

Zito had retired 14 of his last 15 batters before getting hit. He stalked around the mound and grimaced, later saying he feared his arm was broken.

"It got me as square as it could get me, but the baseball gods treated me good," said Zito, adding he had never been hit harder.

Zito wasn't the only pitcher who walked off with an injury. Right-hander Sergio Romo's trick right knee locked up in the eighth inning, but the issue comes and goes. Manager Bruce Bochy wouldn't rule out Romo being available over the weekend.

Not every Giant can exit with grace and fanfare, as Rich Aurilia did during Thursday's highly choreographed home finale. That game also might have been the final farewells for impending free agents Bengie Molina and Randy Winn, neither of whom will start a game in San Diego, Bochy said.

Molina's sore left hand bothered him in the late innings Thursday, but he might be available for a pinch at-bat over the weekend.

Winn had no physical issue, but Bochy told the veteran outfielder that he planned to look at John Bowker and others. Bochy's loyal adherence to Winn, usually in the third or fifth spot in the order, had been a chief source of complaints from critics, especially because Winn hasn't hit a home run since April 25.

Winn acknowledged he might have made his final start as a Giant on Thursday, but he said he didn't take the field with any extra emotion.

"It would be easier to come up with an answer if you were 100 percent sure you weren't coming back next year. But that's not the case," he said.

While it's widely assumed that the club will not re-sign Winn even as a reserve, the San Ramon Valley High graduate said he will instruct his agent to make his first call to Giants officials after the season.

"We'll go from there," he said. "I'll take a wait-and-see approach. I would like to come back here."

From: MLB.com

San Francisco (87-73) Won 5	San Francisco 7, San Diego 2 Today's Boxes 10/2/09 ARI 12, CHC 3 CWS 8, DET 0 FLA 7, PHI 2 BAL 13, TOR 7 BOS 6, CLE 2 NYM 7, HOU 1 PIT 3, CIN 1 WSH 6, ATL 3 TB 13, NYY 4 MIN 10, KC 7 MIL 12, STL 6 LAA 5, OAK 2 COL 4, LAD 3 TEX 7, SEA 4	San Diego (74-86) Lost 1
	October 2, 2009 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E San Francisco 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 0 0 7 7 0 San Diego 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 4 2
	Standings thru 10/2/09 | Recap: SF | SD | Wrap | Gameday

San Francisco AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Velez, E, 2B 5 1 0 1 0 1 3 .264 Torres, RF-LF 5 0 1 2 0 2 3 .269 Sandoval, P, 3B 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 .329 Uribe, SS 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 .293 Bowker, LF 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 .197 b-Garko, PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .269 Romo, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Affeldt, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 Rowand, CF 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 .261 Ishikawa, 1B 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 .263 Posey, B, C 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 .143 Zito, P 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 .118 Medders, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-Lewis, F, PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .259 Runzler, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Schierholtz, RF 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .270 Totals 36 7 7 6 2 5 12 a-Struck out for Medders in the 7th. b-Grounded out for Bowker in the 8th. BATTING 2B: Bowker (2, Correia), Torres (6, Webb, R). HR: Sandoval, P (24, 4th inning off Correia, 0 on, 0 out), Uribe (16, 7th inning off Correia, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Torres 2; Sandoval, P 4; Uribe 4; Bowker 2; Rowand; Ishikawa; Posey, B. RBI: Sandoval, P (89), Uribe (54), Ishikawa (39), Velez, E (31), Torres 2 (23). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Torres 2; Uribe. Team RISP: 3-for-11. Team LOB: 4. FIELDING DP: (Affeldt-Uribe-Ishikawa). San Diego AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Cabrera, E, SS 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .256 Eckstein, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 .260 Gonzalez, A, 1B 2 1 1 0 2 1 0 .275 Headley, 3B 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 .263 Salazar, O, LF 4 0 1 1 0 0 1 .311 Venable, RF 4 0 0 0 0 3 2 .260 Blanco, H, C 4 1 1 1 0 3 0 .235 Gwynn, CF 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 .267 Correia, P 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 .145 Webb, R, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-Gonzalez, Ed, PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .217 Poreda, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Frieri, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 30 2 4 2 4 10 8 a-Struck out for Webb, R in the 7th. BATTING HR: Blanco, H (6, 7th inning off Runzler, 0 on, 1 out). TB: Gonzalez, A; Salazar, O; Blanco, H 4; Correia. RBI: Salazar, O (25), Blanco, H (16). 2-out RBI: Salazar, O. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Venable; Salazar, O. GIDP: Headley. Team RISP: 1-for-3. Team LOB: 5. FIELDING E: Cabrera, E 2 (23, throw, fielding). San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Zito 5.1 3 1 1 2 6 0 4.03 Medders (W, 5-1) 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.04 Runzler 1.0 1 1 1 1 2 1 1.04 Romo 0.1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3.97 Affeldt 1.2 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.79 San Diego IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Correia (L, 12-11) 6.0 6 5 3 1 4 2 3.91 Webb, R 1.0 1 2 0 0 1 0 3.55 Poreda 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.70 Frieri 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 Correia pitched to 4 batters in the 7th. WP: Webb, R. Pitches-strikes: Zito 85-61, Medders 5-3, Runzler 26-14, Romo 10-4, Affeldt 11-9, Correia 92-58, Webb, R 23-14, Poreda 6-3, Frieri 13-6. Groundouts-flyouts: Zito 5-5, Medders 2-0, Runzler 1-0, Romo 0-1, Affeldt 3-0, Correia 9-5, Webb, R 1-1, Poreda 2-1, Frieri 0-3. Batters faced: Zito 21, Medders 2, Runzler 5, Romo 2, Affeldt 4, Correia 25, Webb, R 6, Poreda 3, Frieri 4. Inherited runners-scored: Medders 1-0, Affeldt 1-0, Webb, R 2-2. Umpires: HP: Sam Holbrook. 1B: Mike Winters. 2B: Dan Iassogna. 3B: Larry Vanover. Weather: 69 degrees, overcast. Wind: 2 mph, Varies. T: 2:32. Att: 26,776. October 2, 2009 Box score official statistics approved by Major League Baseball Office of the Commissioner