Mercury News
The Giants have a high success rate in their gaudy orange home jerseys this season. But they were so bad in the field Friday night, you almost wondered if the manufacturer forgot to cut arm holes.
The Milwaukee Brewers benefited from all manner of juggles, skipped throws, bad decisions and shoddy plays in accepting a 3-0 win.
The Giants were just as pathetic at the plate against left-hander Randy Wolf, who twirled a three-hitter while completing his first shutout since 2008.
A day after moving into sole possession of the top spot in the NL West, the Giants didn't resemble a first-place club in any form. But at least they could enjoy the view for another day, courtesy of the San Diego Padres' loss at St. Louis.
A few more nights like this, though, and the Giants' flag won't stay atop the pole for long.
"We didn't play our best game tonight," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, mastering the art of understatement. "You'll have games when you're a little off. You can't get down. Just put it behind you."
The Giants and Brewers bring out the worst in each other. The Brewers couldn't do anything right July 5-8, kicking the ball around the diamond while the Giants swept four games at Miller Park. That series was a turning point for the Giants, who were one game over .500 when they stepped into the dairy state.
But it all turned sour Friday behind Madison Bumgarner, forcing the rookie to throw gobs of unnecessary pitches.
Before the game, Bochy said he and the staff have discussed ways to reduce the stress on his 21-year-old rookie, who is flying past his previous high for innings in a pro season. This kind of game wasn't what Bochy had in mind. The left-hander struggled to record the third out, surrendering seven of his nine hits with two away. And the Giants defense didn't help him finish innings, either. "I felt I made some pretty good pitches when I had to," Bumgarner said. "They just found the holes and made it hard on us." Prince Fielder's bloop single, which scored a run in the first inning, might have been catchable for some left fielders. But Pat Burrell lost it in the lights. It got uglier. Third baseman Juan Uribe juggled a ground ball in the second inning, forcing Bumgarner to pitch out of a bases-loaded jam. Shortstop Edgar Renteria misplayed a soft one-hopper to heap more stress on Bumgarner in the fourth. And the defense totally broke down after Ryan Braun's double led off the fifth inning. Second baseman Freddy Sanchez bounced a throw, and first baseman Aubrey Huff failed to scoop it as the Giants minimized Casey McGehee's potential double-play grounder. Renteria made another mistake after fielding Carlos Gomez's grounder, throwing offline to the plate, even though he didn't have a very good shot at Braun. At least Renteria yanked his throw to the first-base side of the dish, saving catcher Buster Posey a needless collision. The Brewers scored their third run in the seventh when left-hander Jeremy Affeldt couldn't make an accurate, 30-foot throw to the plate, skipping it past Posey as Gomez scored. Bumgarner remained winless with a 4.76 ERA in eight career starts at home, a sharp contrast from his road performance, where he is 5-3 with a 1.98 ERA. But Bochy heaped praise on Bumgarner for keeping his composure while minimizing the damage. And with Wolf cruising, Bumgarner never had a shot to win, anyway. Wolf had the second most walks in the NL, behind only Jonathan Sanchez. But the Giants didn't work deep counts, and Wolf got 27 outs on 111 pitches. "I'm not taking anything away from the way he pitched, but we're much more capable of getting on base than we did tonight," Burrell said. "This time of year, you can't afford not to put pressure on other teams."
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