MILWAUKEE — Ryan Sadowski had a big problem on his hands while making his major league debut Sunday afternoon, but it wasn’t with the Milwaukee Brewers’ powerful lineup.

How could he keep all his souvenir baseballs from getting mixed up?
“I’ve got one from the first pitch, one from the first strikeout and one from my first hit,” said Sadowski, who pitched with uncommon poise over six innings as the Giants won 7-0 at Miller Park to avoid a three-game sweep.
What about the ball that Brewers slugger Ryan Braun smoked off his thigh?
“I’ve got that, too,” he said. “It’s still in my leg.”
Sadowski’s dry wit wasn’t the only quality he displayed. The six-year minor leaguer stepped into a launching pad and stayed grounded, calmly spotting his sinker, cutter and curveball to befuddle one of the league’s most fearsome offensive clubs.
He became the first Giants starting pitcher in more than a decade to win in his major league debut — something not even Matt Cain or Tim Lincecum managed to do. Joe Nathan was the last, on April 21, 1999.
“I know a lot of people probably didn’t expect me to be in this situation, but I’m happy to be here and pitch my game,” said Sadowski, 26, a 12th-round draft pick out of the University of Florida in 2003. “You know, I think the only one who wasn’t surprised was me. I feel I’ve gotten better throughout the year and I felt I pitched better than my numbers appeared.”
The Giants supported Sadowski by battering Brewers opening-day starter Jeff Suppan for the second time this season.
Nate Schierholtz went 4 for 5 while batting cleanup in place of a resting Bengie Molina. Schierholtz even hit a one-handed home run that scraped the right-field fence. Perhaps the universe was getting square with him after Brewers center fielder Mike Cameron reached over the fence to take one away Saturday.
Giants Manager Bruce Bochy wouldn’t say if he’d leave Schierholtz, a left-handed hitter, in the cleanup spot when the Giants continue their trip against four right-handed starters in St. Louis.
The manager also wouldn’t guarantee Sadowski another start, saying he’d discuss both matters with General Manager Brian Sabean. The Giants could option Sadowski back to Triple-A Fresno so they aren’t playing a man short on the bench against the Cardinals.
“We’ll see what we’re going to do,” Bochy said. “The kid was great. He gave us what we needed after a tough loss. He swung the bat, fielded the position — he did it all today. The kid should be proud. It’s a long road for him to get here.”
Sadowski got double-play grounders to end the second and sixth innings. He pitched out of his biggest jam in the fourth, after Casey McGehee hit a generously scored double that clanked off Fred Lewis’ glove in left field. The key out came when Sadowski got Cameron to ground into a fielder’s choice at the plate.
Sadowski hadn’t set foot in a major league stadium since 2006, when he spent the year rehabbing at the club’s minor league complex in Scottsdale, Ariz., after shoulder surgery.
“Oh goodness,” he said. “I was stuck in Arizona with only a bike. I’d find a way to go to a few Diamondbacks games, usually when the Giants were in town.
“I was on that bike a lot.”
The Brewers would like to get off this ride. They are 0-4 this season when facing a pitcher making his big league debut. But Braun had no reservations about tipping his cap.
“He was pretty confident and comfortable and threw the ball well,” Braun said. “You go up there the first time through the lineup and try to get a feel for what they do, what their pitches do. He threw the ball well. He deserved to win today.”
The Giants had lost 16 of their previous 19 games at Miller Park, including six consecutive. But they had just the charm they needed to prevent a sweep. Everything went Sadowski’s way, right down to the Sausage Race.
The Polish dog prevailed.