The 46th & 21st

Remember the First Inning Rule? "Straight Up, Straight Down", all that? Well, that's what happened for S.F. at first. Winn flied out, Ochoa called out on strikes, Lewis swinging on strikes. But it also happened in favor of S.F. And it was beautiful.

1st: Zito did OK at first, nothing out of the ordinary, but he did get the first out swinging on a changeup after a full count, and the second out was obtained by a fantastic defensive stop by Burriss who was starting at 2B again. (I could not have been happier to see this for Emmanuel, and he proved my confidence right immediately, once again.) Wheels loosened quickly, though. A single next, and then another full count. But this time a BB to Adrian Gonzalez. Zito got the last out on a 6-4 grounder, but the usual precedent was there for the taking: little offense, excellent foundational defense, struggling pitching from Zito.

Top 2nd: The most notable thing is that Rowand got HBP again. He must have a stance that eggs pitchers on to just try and hit him. Have you ever seen it from the side? It's... interesting. From the front, though, there's not much to hit - he's straight as an arrow, there. My team scapegoat, Castillo, was in for Richie at 3B and naturally struck out on three straight pitches; Dave Flemming even relayed that Castillo's swings were obviously late.

Bottom 2nd: Things were a little smoother for Zito. A fly out, a strike out and a 1-3 ground out. Only one full count, and down in order. Better, which is unfortunately worth noting given Zito's current record.

Top 3rd: Burriss, youthful genius, just put down a bunt single to begin the side; in the minors, he was well-known for such a skill. Unfortunately, Burriss got a little greedy and after Zito's sac bunt was handled by Peavy solely, Burriss saw 3B uncovered and tried for it; he was tagged out. The attitude is good, especially for his speed (he scored from 1B last night in the 10th after a RF single), but the calculation needs work. Rookie mistake; perfectly acceptable. Winn flied out for the second time; less acceptable, but understandable.

Bottom 3rd: Zito fielded his position well - he handled another grounder off a 1-2 count, for the first out. Then Zito seemed to lose the strikezone, walking his second batter. Zito got out of it through a double-play, with a beautiful turn by Burriss which made up for a poor feed from Ochoa. Notice how many times Emmanuel's name has come up in a positive light since starting at 2B last night? I hope so.

Top 4th: Straight Up; Straight Down. Although Molina did have a drive to RF that made Giles misjudge and have to backpeddle onto the warning track.

Bottom 4th: Straight Up; Straight Down. Hello: 'tis for Zito. I was pleasantly amused... the kind of amusement that indicates normalcy for a Major League team. And a six-pitch inning at that! Even if we didn't win, at this point I was thinking that this outing for Zito may have been worth taking pride in.

Top 5th: Rowand works a full count, but strikes out. This full count work paid off a little though, because Bowker lined a single to RF next. Personally, I think the kid just needs more time, because the hitting skill is there. But, Oh My Scapegoat, Castillo, went 0-2 on the count. I think I will make that an acronymn, OMS. Castillo isn't so bad that he deserves no aphorisms from me, is he? Proof of this is that he at least worked a full count for that. But proof against it is that on that full count pitch, he looked while Bowker ran. Castillo was called out looking; Bowker was thrown out without effort. Way to go, Scapegoat. OMS; OMFS.

Bottom 5th: Zito got an immediate full count, which he managed to get an easy pop-out for; the luck seemed to be continuing. This luck was confirmed with another 1-2-3 inning for him. 15 pitches suggested the luck particularly.

Top 6th: Straight Up; Straight Down.

Bottom 6th: Zito got Peavy on the second pitch for a 6-3 ground out. A side thing to note at this point is that even given Ochoa's weak toss to Burriss, his defensive play has been solid so far. The next batter hit it straight to Castillo, so OMS, he knocked it down but couldn't throw the batter out. That's right, the Scapegoat had an error. I believe that ever since the trading deadline, Castillo has committed at least one error per game. Zito struck of brilliance, a dangerous thought, when he struck out Iguchi on that signature 12-6 curveball. The most unfortunate thing was that at once, Zito's luck and Burriss' seemed to run out at the same AB. Giles popped up to Burriss at 2B, which he misjudged in such a way that Giles had a double. Thank God the Padres don't run, because Hairston was kept at 3B. Zito was told to intentionally walk Adrian Gonzalez (looks like my blog - and my advice - is actually being heard!). In a pseudo-karmic streak for doing that, Zito struck out Kouzmanoff, and the inning was over. Still, scoreless for Barry. And only 88 pitches!

Top 7th: Ochoa was robbed by a rare jumping Gonzalez - probably ticked that we paid heed and walked him in the inning prior. Peavy showed frustration despite this, however, and it seemed a bit illogical given how well the pitchers were doing this evening. Peavy himself was doing well at getting Lewis, and others, to foul off instead of get a hit; but I think the frustration worked to our advantage because Lewis singled. Lewis then stole 2B successfully, taking a hint from an awkward pitch thrown just before the attempt, and the count was 2-0 to Molina with a RISP. Molina worked it to 3-0. Rowand was on-deck, but they didn't walk Molina. I'm sure a number of intelligent Padres fans were wondering why in a wildly frustrated manner, because after that count filled, the payoff pitch was a soft single to RF, perfectly placed. Gonzalez couldn't get it, and Giles' throw was offline and not nearly in time. Lewis scored. This was especially sweet for us since Rowand struck out on three straight pitches (his 87th of the year, by the way; I don't make mention of Lewis' 100 Ks at the plate, because he scores - a lot). A missed slider to Bowker made Peavy... well, peaved. The interesting thing is that after Peavy stared at the umpire following that pitch, the next pitch was almost exactly the same and was called a strike instead. The count again was full (a common theme for both pitchers tonight). Bowker was good at fouling off and buying more pitches; he was rewarded with his second hit of the game, a pull to RF again. The hit was so good, Molina reached 3B. This running helped us immensely, because it put another RISP (Molina can't score from 2B on a single, trust me). Do you know what happened next? Here's a hint: OMFS. Castillo swung at the first pitch AGAIN and lined out to CF. O, O, OMS. "2-0?" "No, no; but you do have a pretty reasonable candidate for Scapegoat!"

Bottom 7th: Thank God, Aurilia was put in for defensive purposes. But no, wait: put in not for the Scapegoat, but for the man who has just gone 2-3. I know Aurilia's a better 1B. However, Castillo was the main reason we weren't going to win, if we didn't. Another full count for Zito ended in a very lucky K. The last thing you want to do is walk the leadoff in a tight game, especially when you're riding the Luck Train. After this strike out, Zito got Bard on two pitches for a 5-3 ground out. Gonzalez completed the order-downing with a lineout to Winn. That's a 10 pitch inning for Zito, leaving him at a comfy 98 total through seven innings, giving up only two rightful hits, both to the same man. (A side-tip: this last fact is especially important because, as a pitcher, you know that if you are to continue and you are struggling in the AB against said batter, you can save yourself in the current game and walk him to gain momentum and confidence through other batters.)

Top 8th: Peavy was replaced by Hensley; Bud Black must have realized Peavy's consternation and attitude. Burriss tried his first-pitch, first AB of the inning bunt trick again; but it still didn't work, although I give him credit for at least trying to be both unconventional and playing-to-his-strength at the same time. Zito got a single from a 0-2 count because of Kouzmanoff's glove-error. Winn got a 2-0 count immediately following that. Winn managed to strike out, on the next three consecutive pitches; I believe this AB made him 0-4. Ochoa worked a BB next, and Lewis - clearly more dangerous of the two - came up with a chance to really do damage. Lewis got a single up the middle, but because it was Zito at 2B (slower than fielders and not wanting to be in a collision at HP), he was held by Flannery. Unfortunately, this didn't matter: Molina popped up the first pitch. All I'm going to say is this: luck felt ironic. The man who had an unusually hot 2-hit shutout going and got a basehit off an error was also a reason why we had to go into the eighth with him at almost 100 pitches and only a one-run lead.

Bottom 8th: Zito got a PH to pop up easily to Rowand in CF, with just two pitches. Zito got a generous call for a 0-2 count, but a flair single on the third pitch just in front of Winn to RCF made the inning tense for me. Zito struck out Iguchi swinging, a pitch that Iguchi had not been able to handle all night - a slider in on the hands. Zito still looked as if it were the first inning, for the control he displayed. Yet a BB to Giles. Adrian Gonzalez next. Bochy talks to Zito; Zito stays in. Taschner was the option, and obviously given last night against Gonzalez, Zito was a better choice. I applaud the decision, even without knowing the outcome. Someone up top must be listening to this, and paying attention. Here was their reward: one pitch grounded Gonzalez out to Burriss easily, and Zito finished eight shutout innings. 116 pitches; three hits. In the postgame interview, Zito said he'd run around his old neighborhood today; it does in fact help to center oneself by remembering home. There is no question that Bochy's act of trust with Barry was huge, though; not only did Zito conquer the erratic umpiring here (even Tony Gwynn was overheard saying "wow" to the minimalist-umpire's strikezone), he cut off his own problems, restored his own self-confidence, and took care of Jake Peavy as his opponent.

Top 9th: Rowand went 0-5. Richie singled up the middle; good ol' Richie. If those consecutive ABs are not a contrast for the reader, I know not what one would be. At least Richie can make contact; he's much older, yet can play more positions, has better defense, runs better (he avoided getting thrown out at 2B from Scapegoat's grounder just after reaching base), and is getting paid a lot less. Same for Burriss. So naturally, Burriss singled hard to LF. And Aurilia, God bless him, he held up a bit but scored easily since the throw from Henley in LF was way off. Burriss, a smart youth, advanced to 2B on the throw automatically. Cla Hensley was replaced on the mound. 2-0, S.F. Vizquel replaced Zito to hit, since Wilson was already ready to throw down in the 'pen. Vizquel worked a 0-2 count to a full count, but popped out. It would be up to the Animal.

Bottom 9th: Wilson gives a signature sprint out from the bullpen. He gives a signature outside-corner fastball at 96mph; he repeats the same pitch at 97mph. Wilson blows Kouzmanoff away after a ball, to finish the first out. Next, Wilson makes Headley's bat explode after a full count to ground him out to Aurilia at 1B. A break for Brian, before throwing to Bard. First pitch, low. Second pitch, inside strike. Third pitch, 95mph fouled off. Begging in my head. Next pitch barely misses. How appropriate: final pitch, grounded to Richie. Richie is the shizzle.

FINAL: 2-0, S.F.

That's 21 save opportunities in a row. Brian is The Animal. Zito relayed in the postgame interview that Wilson once made a joke: he was the only guy without a jersey for sale in the Giants' Dugout team store, yet he was an All-Star. Zito laughed at the truth of it; so did I. I want one, right now. I'll say it again, and again, and again:

HIT THE DECK, IT'S THE GHOST OF ROD BECK.

-MSH