Sat May 17 11:01:29 2008

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Struggling southpaws meet in San Francisco

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(Sports Network) - A pair of struggling left-handers take the hill tonight, as Barry Zito leads his San Francisco Giants against Mark Buehrle and the Chicago White Sox in the second test of a three-game series at AT&T Park.

Zito is 0-7 with a 6.58 earned run average, but has pitched better in two starts since being temporarily taken out of the rotation. While he actually never made a relief appearance, he took the mound in Pittsburgh on May 7 and gave up a season-low two runs on five hits over five innings of a 3-1 loss.

The left-hander then faced a rolling Houston club on Monday and earned a no- decision after six innings of three-run ball that saw him yield seven hits.

Zito is 8-2 with a 3.22 ERA in 12 career starts against Chicago. He won 102 games and a Cy Young Award in seven seasons with Oakland, but is 11-20 in his short time with the Giants.

Meanwhile, Buehrle has lost three straight starts and five decisions in a row, dropping him to 1-5 on the season with a 5.81 ERA. The left-hander faced the Angels on Monday and allowed eight runs (six earned) on 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings. He also struck out six, but failed to hold a 4-2 lead.

The southpaw, who threw a no-hitter last season, has won double-digit games in each of the past seven seasons.

Buehrle struggled in his lone career start against the Giants, getting blitzed for eight runs on six hits and three walks in just 4 1/3 innings of an 11-4 loss back on June 11, 2003.

In Friday's opener, Gavin Floyd combined with four other pitchers in a five- hit shutout, as the White Sox downed the Giants, 2-0. Floyd (4-2) gave up four hits and three walks with three strikeouts in six innings of work, while relievers Ehren Wassermann, Boone Logan, Scott Linebrink and Bobby Jenks shut the Giants down the rest of the way.

Jenks earned his ninth save of the season.

Alexei Ramirez hit the first home run of his career -- a two-run shot in the seventh -- to provide the only offense of the game. Nick Swisher went 1-for-4 with a run scored for the White Sox, who have won three straight and improved to 5-3 on a 10-game road trip.

With no designated hitter spot, Jim Thome was forced out of the starting lineup for yesterday's game. Thome, who has 53 career homers in interleague play, did pinch-hit but struck out.

Ray Durham had three hits while Jonathan Sanchez (2-3) got the loss as he gave up two runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings of work for the Giants, who have dropped their last three games and fell to 3-5 on a 10-game homestand.

San Francisco's loss came in its first game since managing general partner Peter Magowan announced his plan to retire. Magowan has made several big-name moves during his tenure, which began after he organized a purchase of the club in 1992, including the signings of Zito and Barry Bonds.

The Giants went 5-10 in interleague play last year, while the White Sox were just 4-14. These two clubs are meeting for the first time since Chicago took two out of three at home during the 2003 season.