Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Giants' weak hitting sullies Cain's gem

SAN DIEGO - On a night when Matt Cain took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning, the Giants still managed to have the most anemic lineup in the house.

Khalil Greene snapped Cain's bid with a leadoff double in the seventh and scored on Geoff Blum's sacrifice fly, and that was all it took for the San Diego Padres to defeat the Giants 1-0 on Monday.

The Giants are 1-6 for the third time since moving to San Francisco in 1958, a start that General Manager Brian Sabean said he never saw coming. The Giants have started 1-7 only once, when the 1967 club started cold before rallying to finish with a 91-71 record.

These Giants were built to win with starting pitching and situational hitting, but the situation is turning more crucial with every empty performance from their lineup.

They outhit the Padres 5-2 but couldn't score against Chris Young and a pair of relievers - including Padres closer Trevor Hoffman, who entered to the blare of "Hell's Bells" before ruining Manager Bruce Bochy's homecoming.

Bochy, who spent the previous 12 seasons as the Padres' manager, exorcized most of his past in the season-opening series against his former team at AT&T Park. But coming back to San Diego was another matter, and he didn't look forward to hearing Hoffman's signature soundtrack.

"No, I'm not thinking about the bells," said Bochy, brushing off the question from a local radio guy. "I'm focusing on trying to get a run there."

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