Needing to start the second half of the season with some wins to remain in the running for the division title, the Giants instead came home to be swept by Milwaukee. The All-Star break looked like it could be a turning point for the Giants, but their struggles in July continued with Sunday afternoon’s 7-4 loss to the Brewers.
After missing the All-Star game with the flu, Tim Lincecum started the game for San Francisco, but recieved little run support. He tried to pitch through the seventh inning, but was knocked out after allowing three hitters to reach base. He gave up two runs in the second inning, and then gave up a three-run shot to Ryan Braun to put the Giants in a 5-0 hole. However, Lincecum did strike out eight batters, but also walked four in six innings of work. Alex Hinshaw came in after the Braun homer and retired three straight batters to end the inning. Geno Espineli made his Major League debut in the eighth, and pitched a perfect frame with a strikeout. After scoring two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to make it a three-run game closer Brian Wilson gave the Brewers back those two runs before the Giants added two more in the bottom of the ninth, losing by a final score of 7-4.
Emmanuel Burriss filled in at the leadoff spot for Fred Lewis, who is out with a foot injury and went two-for-five with singles and scored a run. Ivan Ochoa played shortstop in place of Omar Vizquel, who struggling at the plate; Ochoa went two-for-four with two singles. Both Jose Castillo and Aaron Rowand drove in two runs with doubles in the eighth and ninth innings, but that was the extent of the Giants offense last night. Defensively the Giants committed three errors by Randy Winn, Castillo, and Eugenio Velez, but thankfully none of them resulted in unearned runs.
The Giants will have Monday off to recover from the sweep and prepare themselves for a three-game series at home against the Nationals. Barry Zito will square off with Washington’s Jason Bergmann at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Additionally, after the Milwaukee series concluded, San Francisco traded veteran second baseman Ray Durham to the Brewers in exchange for two prospects, Triple-A lefty pitcher Steve Hammond, and Class A center fielder Darren Ford.
