LOS ANGELES ? So many adjectives have been used to describe Barry Zito over the past six seasons. Overpaid is a trendy one.
Here is another: deserving.
How else to describe a pitcher who has contributed to 11 consecutive happy handshake lines on his day to pitch? Who finally received run support and made it stand up for 15 victories? Who put aside the dented pride that came with being playoff-roster chaff three times in 2010, and then resurrected himself from a crisis of confidence at the end of spring training?
Zito had a killer instinct on the mound Tuesday night. It was just the right attitude the Giants needed to eliminate their archrivals. Zito was masterful into the seventh inning, left to loud boos ? the universal sound of respect for a Giant at Dodger Stadium ? and gave the club what it needed in a 4-3 victory.
Zito ends the season with a 4.15 ERA ? identical to where he finished in 2010. But the destination looks so much sunnier this time.
?I felt pretty good in that season except for down the stretch,? Zito said. ?This year, it was different. I was able to keep my focus and make better pitches. I was able to stay under control coming down the way and keep my focus.?
He will be on the playoff roster for the NLDS that begins Saturday at AT&T Park. That much manager Bruce Bochy has confirmed. But when would he pitch?
With a stern start in a playoff environment, Zito might have made a case to be the Giants? Game 3 starter when they hit the road, either to Washington or Cincinnati. He certainly has been a better, more dependable pitcher than Tim Lincecum this season.
For now, Bochy declined to offer Zito more than plaudits.
?We?ll get together here,? Bochy said. ?But he?s done just a terrific job, particularly when you look at winning the last 11 games. It?s a difficult decision and a lot of variables go into it. But he?s pitched great and had great focus out there. We?ll go meet Thursday and get this thing set.?
You couldn?t blame Zito for having a sense of entitlement. But he made no demands after becoming the first Giant since Bill Swift in 1992 to lead his team to victories in 11 consecutive starts.
?Whatever?s going to happen is going to happen,? Zito said. ?Bochy makes the decisions around here. He?s done a heck of a job to this point and I think we all trust him.?
Zito was able to trust in his hitters this season. They scored at least four runs for him in 18 of his 32 starts, and he went 13-1 in those games. He?s 40-3 in his Giants career when he receives at least four runs.
He only had 37 such starts over his first five seasons with the club. That?s an average of 7.4 games per season.
So this has been like a tidal wave of runs this season. Still, he needed to make them stand up. And he has.
He showed mettle by picking up his teammates twice after mistakes in the field. He didn?t shrink in the face of Matt Kemp, who entered with a .462 average in 52 career at-bats against him.
This time, Zito struck out Kemp twice. And when he faced him with two runners in scoring position in the fifth, he pitched aggressively inside and then sacrificed his shins to make sure the ball wouldn?t go through. When Zito threw in time for the out at first base, it was as charged as he?s appeared on a baseball field in a long, long time.
?I was pretty fired up,? Zito said. ?Just a lot of history with Kemp, you know? In a big situation like that, it was good to be able to jam him a little bit.?
It was a memorable jam session. Zito hopes the music can linger into late October.
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