PITTSBURGH — According to Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, ratings for Giants telecasts are up 38 percent over last year.

But when their offense is at its worst, and Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates certainly qualified, the Giants sure can induce some furious channel-flipping tendencies among their fans.
Who wants to watch Travis Ishikawa wave at curveballs in the dirt when a perfectly good “Law & Order” marathon is a click away?
Barry Zito had no such option while falling to 5-10. He pitched well for 6?1/3 innings, but the Giants failed to score for the seventh time during his 19 starts; his overall run support is the weakest in the major leagues.
The Giants are not blazing out of the All-Star break and they no longer have the look of a confident, contending bunch. In two losses to a last-place club at PNC Park, they have scored an unearned run while hitting .152 and going 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position.
“You’re looking for quality at-bats,” Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said. “You need those throughout the lineup. And we’re cold right now. You can say the same thing about the other club, but they’re getting enough runs to beat us.”
Bochy’s lineup featured four different position players from a night earlier, as he let loose John Bowker, Nate Schierholtz, Eli Whiteside and Ishikawa against right-hander Charlie Morton.
Ishikawa struck out three times, none more crippling than the second out of the ninth inning after the Giants moved the potential tying runs into scoring position. Ishikawa swung through two inside curveballs from closer Matt Capps, then was overpowered by a fastball on the outer half. Juan Uribe grounded out on the first pitch to end it.
“I definitely need to have a better plan at the plate,” said Ishikawa, who reviewed video and talked with catcher Bengie Molina after the game. “I was overaggressive, and that isn’t a situation that calls for that kind of approach. You’ve got to wash that one away and be ready for the next time.”
Ishikawa said Molina told him to use a catcher’s mentality at the plate instead of always gearing up for the fastball.
“I was trying to be too quick to the ball, trying not to get beat with the fastball,” Ishikawa said. “They overexposed me with curveballs. I couldn’t wait back on them.”
The time to wait might be ending for upper management. First base is an obvious spot to look for an offensive upgrade, with the Washington Nationals’ Nick Johnson and the Pirates’ Adam LaRoche among the well-circulated names. Or the Giants could seek a third baseman and slide Pablo Sandoval to first base.
It’s also possible that Bowker could move back to first. He had a single to start the rally against Capps.
Before the game, Bochy hinted that Bowker might not be the player subtracted Tuesday when the club must create room to promote pitcher Ryan Sadowski.
“There’s a settling-in process when guys come up,” Bochy said. “It doesn’t matter what your (Triple-A) numbers are. The question is how long it goes on. Johnny showed us power with the ball he hit out in San Francisco. His discipline is a big factor in his success. When you come here, you’re anxious and a little hyped up.”
The rest of the lineup doesn’t have that excuse. The Giants’ 204 walks rank last in the major leagues by a wide margin.
“It’s hard to take that (aggressiveness) away,” Bochy said. “You get a good pitch, you want them swinging. It is easier said than done. But that’s part of adjusting in the major leagues — laying off certain pitches.
“It’s a rough start. Two games is what it is. We’ll get in a rhythm.”