BOX SCORE
ANAHEIMYou couldsay the pressure is on Barry Zito, now that his positive momentum is gone andhe has a 10.67 ERA while getting hammered in three consecutive losses.
But the pressure iseven higher on Tim Lincecum now.
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The Giants simplycant afford to caddy for their ace in nine consecutive losses when theyrealso handicapped with a struggling Zito in the rotation. If that wasnt alreadyobvious, it became crystal clear after Zito gave up eight earned runs in 3 13innings of a 12-5 loss at Angel Stadium Tuesday night.
And heres some moreclarity for you: Lincecum and Zito are both scheduled to pitch against the LosAngeles Dodgers when the NL West leaders arrive at AT&T Park on Monday.
Well, Weve got toget back on track, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Weve got to get Z andTimmy both back on track. Pitching is a key for us. Barry had a tough go, butyou keep pressing on. Thats all you can do.
Lincecum has lookedfor silver linings ever since his last victory April 24. Zito tried to do thesame after a fast and powerful lineup kept him in the stretch and pounded hismistakes.
San Francisco Giants
Zito threw strikesand didnt fall behind many hitters, as is his custom when he struggles. TheAngels hit a couple good pitches, too. Albert Pujols three-run homer in thefirst inning came on an 0-1 cutter that was down but over the plate.
I prepared theright way, I was aggressive and theyre big league hitters, Zito said. Was Iaggressive? Was I in the frame of mind where I was going to make them beat me?Thats the frame of mind you have to have. You cant go up there 2-0 and try toget back in the count.
Zito said it wassimilar to his rough outing two starts ago against the Texas Rangers. Inbetween, against the Houston Astros, he said he was just out of sync.
The good news: Theresnothing in the National League that resembles the blend of speed and power thatthe Angels and Rangers throw at you. An AP reporter asked Bochy and severalplayers if anything like those lineups existed in the NL; he received a seriesof shrugs and flummoxed answers.
They couldnt justcome out and say the National League is impotent by comparison, could they?
The Giants stillhave a chance to win a road series against a premium opponent if they can rideRyan Vogelsong to a victory on Wednesday. They are undefeated in Vogelsongslast eight starts; they havent lost nine consecutive with Cain on the mound.
Those are the twopillars in the rotation, with Madison Bumgarner also a supporting structure.But theyre sagging worse than ever in the middle. And the Dodgers will get awhole lot of middle next week.