Finally, Bengie Molina was to get the day off. He caught every inning of every game and finally was to catch a break. Not only would Pablo Sandoval catch for the first time this season Wednesday, but the Giants brought up backup catcher Steve Holm from Class AAA Fresno.
Molina could finally snooze, right? Wrong.
Molina, who didn't take batting practice, was pulled off the bench in the bottom of the 10th inning Wednesday and hit a ground-rule double to beat the Padres 1-0.
After Sunday's game, Molina said he could have continued catching every game until May 1, when the Giants begin a 17-games-in-17-days stretch. But when Sandoval got Wednesday's starting call and when Holm was added to the roster, Molina figured he had little chance of playing.
But a scoreless game through regulation changed everything. Andres Torres singled and stole second in the 10th and scored when Molina, pinch-hitting for Emmanuel Burriss (following an intentional walk to Fred Lewis), bounced a ball into the left field bleachers.
GIANTS 1, PADRES 0 (10 innings): LHP Barry Zito threw seven scoreless innings, almost cutting his 10.00 ERA in half (5.63). It was the fourth Giants victory in five games on the homestand following their 0-6 trip to Southern California, and each starting pitcher had a solid start, combining for 34 2/3 innings and allowing just two runs (both on Matt Cain's watch). Padres RHP Chris Young matched Zito's seven scoreless innings, and then the bullpens took over. Bengie Molina doubled home Andres Torres in the 10th to win it. Brian Wilson, who threw two innings, got the win.
