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Sheets shuts out Giants as Brewers roll

Apr 6, 2008 - 10:00 PM By David Cotey PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

MILWAUKEE (Ticker) - Ben Sheets' wait for his second career shutout is finally over.

Sheets pitched a five-hitter Sunday as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the San Francisco Giants, 7-0, to complete a sweep of the three-game series.

Sheets' only other shutout came nearly seven years ago, and it also was a 7-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on May 29, 2001.

He extended his scoreless inning streak at the start of the season to 15 1/3. On Opening Day, the oft-injured righthander allowed just two hits over 6 1/3 innings of a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

"I'm glad I can finally finish one off and throw a zero up for the whole game," Sheets said. "(The first shutout) was my 15th or 16th (career) start. I was like, I'll get 15, 20, a hundred of these. Seven years later, I finished up another one."

Sheets (1-0) was dominant Sunday against the offensively challenged Giants, striking out eight without walking a batter. He struck out the side in the first inning on 11 pitches and faced four or fewer batters in eight frames.

"It's not always the best thing," Sheets said of striking out the side in the first. "I mean, it's a good inning, but a lot of times you go out there and try to strike everybody out and things don't work out for you. We didn't try to do that. We just tried to stay on the attack and throw strikes."

Gabe Kapler and Ryan Braun hit solo home runs in the fifth inning off Giants starter Barry Zito, whose struggles continued.

Zito (0-2) was tagged for five runs - three earned - and eight hits in five innings. He also surrendered five runs in the season opener on Monday.

"The results aren't what I want, but I made better pitches consistently and got ahead consistently," Zito said. "I'm encouraged. I feel like I made a lot of progress."

Kapler, a center-field platoon with Tony Gwynn Jr. while Mike Cameron serves a 25-game suspension, hit his second home run in as many days and drove in two runs.

"We felt good with the guys we had (fill in for Cameron)," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "Kapler is a very solid player, as is (Gabe) Gross, as is Tony Gwynn. We felt we wouldn't skip a beat. Gabe Kapler is a winning-type player. He plays the game the game the way we liked the game to be played."

Kapler, who added a sacrifice fly in the third inning, spent the 2007 season as a manager at Class A Greenville in the Boston Red Sox organization.

"I think I got a good opportunity in spring training, and I'm getting a good opportunity now," Kapler said. "I feel like I'm being put in a good position to have success, and that's a tribute to Ned. The best leaders put the people that work for them in a position to have success."

Braun's home run also was his second of the series. He finished Sunday's game with three RBI.

The Giants had runners in scoring position in three innings but completed their season-opening six-game road trip at 1-5.