honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 1:16 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, 2009

MLB: Molina's pinch-hit double in 10th lifts Giants over Padres, 1-0

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Bengie Molina's pinch-hit double with two outs in the 10th inning drove in Andres Torres to give the San Francisco Giants a 1-0 win over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.

The attendance of 26,593 was San Francisco's smallest crowd since moving into AT&T Park in 2000.

Torres hit a one-out single off Edwin Moreno (0-2) and stole second. After Eugenio Velez struck out, Moreno intentionally walked Fred Lewis before Molina hit a ground-rule double that bounced over the wall in left-center.

Brian Wilson (1-0) pitched two shutout innings for the win and the Giants finished 4-1 on their homestand after losing six straight on the road.

The Giants managed only four hits, but two came in the 10th. San Francisco won despite scoring fewer than three runs for the fifth time in six games.

Molina was originally scheduled for a day off after starting at catcher in the first 11 games.

San Francisco got another solid outing from its starting pitcher, a theme that's carried the Giants while their offense has struggled.

Left-hander Barry Zito pitched seven shutout innings, his longest outing of the year, and allowed just one runner past second base. Zito kept the Padres off balance with a mixture of snapping curves and a fastball that was his most effective of the young season. He struck out five and didn't walk a batter for the first time since June 25, 2008.

It didn't get easier for San Diego against San Francisco's bullpen.

Scott Hairston doubled off reliever Bob Howry leading off the eighth and was sacrificed to third, but left-hander Jeremy Affeldt replaced Howry and struck out Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez looking.

San Diego starter Chris Young was just as tough as Zito. The big right-hander allowed two hits over seven innings, retiring 12 of his first 14 batters.

Young didn't allow a hit until Travis Ishikawa's leadoff single in the fifth. He then walked Juan Uribe but got out of trouble by retiring the next three hitters in order.

The Giants got two runners on in the sixth but couldn't break through against Young, who had three strikeouts and four walks.

Notes: Because of Thursday's off day, the Giants will skip LHP Jonathan Sanchez's turn in the rotation and instead start RHP Tim Lincecum (0-1) against Arizona on Friday. Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Sanchez will be available to pitch out of the bullpen for the next few days. ... Padres OF Cliff Floyd will undergo an MRI on his right knee in San Diego on Thursday. Floyd had fluid drained from the knee last weekend. ... Giants CF Aaron Rowand got the day off.