Leftovers from Wednesday, May 13: Zito, Pablo, Lewis

SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Zito's fielding goofs in Wednesday's third inning ultimately seemed insignificant. After all, he escaped a bases-loaded, two-out jam with no runs scoring by striking out Josh Willingham.

But both Zito and manager Bruce Bochy made the same point after the Giants' 6-3 loss: The left-hander's misplays forced him to throw more pitches, thus causing him to spend extra energy which he could have used later in the game.

First, Zito mishandled Shairon Martis' comebacker for an error. One out later, he swatted at Nick Johnson's grounder, which likely would have resulted in an inning-ending groundout to shortstop. Instead, Zito deflected the ball off course, leaving Renteria with no play.

"That was not a smart decision," Zito said.

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Bochy said that he considered using Pablo Sandoval to catch Wednesday. But, said Bochy, "That would be pushing it." Bochy was wary of how the position's demands might have affected Sandoval's left ankle, which the Kung Fu Panda tweaked while running out his would-be triple in Tuesday's seventh inning. Sandoval's trip ended with a pratfall between second and third base.

"He looked like a turtle on its back," Bochy said. "But he was on his stomach."

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Bochy opted to give one more day of rest to left fielder Fred Lewis, who sat out Tuesday's game with a sore left toe. "It is, basically, a turf toe," Bochy said, citing the malady familiar to athletes.

Fortunately for the Giants and Lewis, he lined a pinch-hit, RBI double in Wednesday's ninth inning. That ended a stretch of 31 at-bats and eight games without an extra-base hit for Lewis.