San Jose Mercury News
Imagine the excitement if Jonathan Sanchez had thrown another no-hitter Tuesday night.
Imagine the odds involved, too. He was facing the San Diego Padres for just the second time since he no-hit them last July.
But on a depressingly drizzly night at Petco Park, even a no-hitter wouldn't have guaranteed a Giants victory. The Padres squeaked out one single in Sanchez's seven innings and that was enough to beat him. The Giants offense ranged between comic and tragic against Mat Latos and two relievers in a 1-0 loss.
How rare was this outcome?
Consider this: The Giants have held an opponent to one hit or fewer 29 times in a nine-inning game in the franchise's San Francisco era. Never before in those 52 years did they lose.
"I can't say I've been in a game like this," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "I don't need to tell them anything. They're very upset, believe me. No way we should've lost tonight's game."
Sanchez (1-1) struck out 10 and retired the side in five of his seven innings. In his last three starts against the Padres, he has yielded just four hits over 211/3 innings.
"Kind of the same game" as last year's no-hitter, Sanchez said.
With a much different outcome. Chase Headley lined a leadoff single in the fourth inning, stole his way into scoring position and scored on Scott Hairston's sacrifice fly as the Padres clinched the series and drew even with the Giants for first place in the NL West. The Giants outhit the Padres 6-1 but showed uniquely cruel creativity while failing to score. They wasted Nate Schierholtz's leadoff triple in the eighth inning when Eli Whiteside grounded to third base, pinch hitter Bengie Molina popped up and Eugenio Velez struck out. They put runners at the corners with one out in the ninth against Padres closer Heath Bell, but Juan Uribe wasn't able to reprise his late-inning heroics. His fly out to right field wasn't deep enough to score pinch runner Andres Torres and John Bowker struck out to end it. Padres second baseman David Eckstein made a leaping catch of Bowker's bloop to prevent a run in the fourth. This was precisely the kind of game that will infuriate fans who felt the Giants didn't do enough to improve their meager offense over the winter. Sanchez contributed, too. He failed to bunt over Whiteside, who was thrown out at third base after a leadoff double in the third. He also continued to have problems holding runners and his negligence led to the game's only run. Headley stole second base easily, then tagged and took third when first baseman Aubrey Huff flipped over the rail into the photographer's well while catching Kyle Blanks' pop fly. Huff landed on the nape of his neck but said he was just a little sore. He said the sting that lingers was Manny Ramirez's home run that beat the Giants Sunday to start the losing streak. "That (home run) took the wind out of it for the boys," Huff said. "It hasn't been as much fun in the dugout. We need to start having fun again."
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