• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Zito knocked out of game by Gonzo's line drive

Oct 3, 2009 - 5:42 AM By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer

SAN DIEGO(AP) -- Barry Zito's season ended when he was hit by a line drive in the sixth inning Friday night, leaving him with a bruised left forearm.

"It didn't feel good," Zito said after his San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 7-2, although he didn't figure in the decision. "That was as hard as it could be hit. The baseball gods did me good tonight. I didn't die, I didn't break."

X-rays were negative.

"He took a good shot there," manager Bruce Bochy said. "There was no way he could have continued."

Zito was hit by a line drive by Adrian Gonzalez. He grimaced and didn't go after the ball, which landed between the mound and third base. He was checked by a trainer and immediately left the game, which was tied at 1.

It was only the second time Zito lasted past the fifth inning in his last six starts. At 10-13, he finished with a losing record for the third straight season since signing a $126 million, seven-year deal with the Giants.

"I think the numbers are not indicative of how he threw the ball," Bochy said. "If you look at run support he had, you can see why he didn't get quite the wins he could have."

Zito is winless in his last seven starts against San Diego, including 0-4 in six this season. The lefty allowed one run and three hits in 5 1-3 innings, struck out six and walked two. Brandon Medders (5-1) got the last two outs of the sixth.

"He finished up on a good note," Bochy said. "He threw the ball well. it's too bad we couldn't him a win."

Also Friday, Kevin Towers, the longest-tenured general manager in the major leagues, was fired by the Padres, a person familiar with the situation said. The Padres said only that CEO Jeff Moorad will address the media on Saturday afternoon.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the club hadn't made an announcement.

Pablo Sandoval and Juan Uribe hit solo homers for the Giants, both off former Giants pitcher Kevin Correia (12-11). Sandoval homered just inside the foul pole in right field leading off the fourth, his 24th. Uribe's homer leading off the seventh inning went an estimated 437 feet and over the Padres' bullpen beyond center field. It was his 16th.

Coming in, the Giants had been 0-6 at Petco Park this season, scoring just 11 runs with one homer.

The Giants, eliminated from the wild-card race on Wednesday night, scored six runs in the seventh inning, aided by two errors by shortstop Everth Cabrera. Four of the runs were unearned. Cabrera had both a fielding error and a throwing error.

Henry Blanco homered for the Padres in the seventh, his sixth.

Correia allowed five runs, three earned, on six hits in six-plus innings. The first four batters reached against Correia in the seventh before he was pulled.

"Actually it was a great pitching duel as it moved forward," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Unfortunately Barry took one off the left arm. Kevin pitched great through six. He got some pitches up in the seventh inning that they took advantage of."

NOTES: Sandoval was 2 for 24 (.083) at Petco Park this season before his homer. ... Correia finished the year with career highs in wins (12), losses (11) and innings (198).