7 5 2 2 1 8

113 piches, 73 strikes, 26 batters faced, 5 ground outs, 8 fly outs. The two runs were solo HRs, one by the notorious Giant-killer, Khalil Greene. Hennessey, Kline and Wilson got through the 8th, Wilson striking out Adrian Gonzalez to end the inning. The Giants had scored four off Brett Tomko, and Wilson came out for the 9th to close it. He had a meltdown. A Greene hit, followed by two outs, then a cheap hit by Brady Clark to yield a run. After the pinch-hitter Oscar Robles was 1 and 2, Wilson threw three balls way out of the zone. Mr. Ineffective, Dave Righetti, came out for a manly chat, and Wilson responded with two more way out of the zone. He grooved one, and Brian Giles hit the Big Fly, a 3-run HR. Bochy had asked Wilson to get 5 outs, and the 2 in the 8th took 3 batters and 11 pitches. He didn't have enough for the 9th, and I wonder if Skipper Bruce made a bad call. It was Wilson's first blown save. Once again, Matt Cain is denied a win after an exceptional performance. In 6 starts against the Padres, he is 0-3 despite allowing only 11 earned runs in 40 2/3 IP (not to mention 42 strikeouts!). It is a shame we are such a lousy team. We should have lit up Tomko, and we should have finished the 8th without having to use Wilson. Matt finishes the year with 7 wins and 16 losses, but reaches 200 IP in his 32 starts. Mr. Hard Luck has battled all year, showing Giants fans that there is a future beyond Barry Bonds. If we were in a pennant race, this game would have been among the most hideous and disastrous of losses in club history. Since we are last-place scrubs clinging to the hope of playing spoiler, it is merely another in a long line of agonizing performances. We can't beat SD this year, they have us out-manned and out-gunned in every facet of the game. A great line tonight, Matt, I'll take 7 5 2 2 1 8 anytime.