Giants Lose Finale in Arizona 3-1; Next Step: Petco Park

Zito allowed two earned runs in six innings

Zito did something a lot of Giants fans didn't expect: pitched well. He wasn't stellar, as evidenced by his leading off the 2nd inning with two consecutive walks, but he ultimately did a good enough job to keep them in the game: 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 7 K. As for the Giants' offense - it just didn't produce. Freddy Sanchez got them on the board early with a solo shot in the first inning, but they failed to add on to that lead. Wednesday's game was one of failed opportunities to capitalize: In the 3rd inning, with runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, Buster Posey grounded out. In the 7th, with a runner on 2nd and one out, Juan Uribe hit a soft pitch that bounced on home plate, and he was thrown out at first. Cody Ross then walked, and there were runners on the corners for Ishikawa. Ishikawa, however, grounded out to first, ending yet another Giants threat. Lastly, Jose Guillen led off the 9th inning with a double, but Renteria struck out swinging, Uribe fouled out to the catcher, and Cody Ross grounded out, as the Giants failed to tack on a run.

Given Jose Guillen's atrocious speed, I see no reason why Bochy didn't put in a pinch runner for him in the 9th inning. It didn't end up mattering, as Renteria, Uribe, and Ross failed to do anything significant with the bat, but it was nevertheless a necessary move. Nate Schierholtz, for example, could have been put in as a pinch runner, would have represented more speed for the Giants on the basepaths, and would have been an excellent defensive replacement in extra innings had the Giants tied it.

Ultimately, though, the Giants can take a positive from this game: they were facing a soon-to-be star pitcher in Daniel Hudson, so their offensive silence is excusable - at least for the moment; and more importantly, Barry Zito bounced back. He pitched a quality start, and if he can manage to work through six innings and keep the Giants in games on a routine basis, maybe Torres, Sanchez, Huff, Posey, Sandoval, Burrell, Guillen, Ross, or whoever else is playing can muster up enough run support to get the Giants some wins.

Notes:

• Aubrey Huff and Jose Guillen each went 2 for 4
• Darren Ford shows whenever he plays that he is an extremely valuable asset to this Giants team. In late innings, he can come in and steal a base with ease, as he did on Wednesday. He takes huge leads, but gets back to first in time to avoid being picked off. 
• Andres Torres has been nominated for five-tool player of the year along with Jason Heyward, Albert Pujols, Carl Crawford, David Wright, and Justin Upton. The fact that he has been nominated along with such elite players speaks volumes to his accomplishments this year. 
• In other Andres Torres news...he committed his first error since 2003. He had gone 204 games without committing an error, but bobbled a ball in centerfield in the 7th inning to end the streak. 
• Eight of the Giants' last 10 starts have been quality starts. I think it's safe to say they've put August behind them. 
• Freddy Sanchez has homered in two consecutive games.

Tomorrow: Matt Cain will face Jon Garland. Cain is the go-to guy for the Giants. He should be able to set the tone for the Giants in this critical series. Garland faced the Giants once this year and allowed one earned run and six hits in seven innings. He pitches very well at home, with a 2.68 ERA on the year at Petco Park. 

As it stands, the Giants are two games back of the Padres in the NL West. This series is could clearly be a critical turning point for the Giants or Padres, and the Giants are in a good position going it to it, having won their last three series. 

Pat Burrell - "These are two good teams. Most of the time it's little things in games like this that stand out: getting guys over, getting guys in, pitchers getting a bunt down. You're going to have errors, but limiting the amount of mistakes will decide who wins."