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Giants send Zito out against Padres

Sep 14, 2008 - 8:10 AM San Francisco (67-81) at San Diego (57-92) 4:05 p.m. EDT

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Barry Zito is trying to bring some respectability to his record and build a foundation for the future.

The Giants call on Zito (9-16, 5.35 ERA) to face the San Diego Padres on Sunday in hopes that he can avoid adding to his high loss total.

Zito, along with the Cincinnati Reds' Aaron Harang, tops the majors in losses mainly because he dropped each of his first eight decisions.

However, the 2002 American League Cy Young winner has been pitching better since the horrid start. His 9-16 record masks the fact that he is 9-8 over his last 17 decisions, beating the National League West's worst team - the Padres - twice in that period.

Despite all his flaws, Zito is seeking to become a double-digit winner for his eighth straight season. The flip side is he has never lost more than 16 games and another defeat would make him the first San Francisco hurler to lose 17 games since 1985, when Dave LaPoint accomplished the dubious feat.

The Padres will be glad to see Zito after being blanked by Tim Linceum on Saturday. The Giants' ace righthander ran his record to 17-3 with a four-hit, 12-strikeout performance in a 7-0 victory.

"Lincecum is always tough," Padres second baseman Edgar Gonzalez said. "His stuff is unbelievable. Tonight, he was mostly trying to spot the fastball and using his off-speed pitches more. Whatever he does, he's pretty effective."

Cha Seung Baek (5-10, 5.07) goes for the Padres. The righthander is 1-1 with a 5.63 ERA in two appearances against the Giants.