SAN FRANCISCO _ Chris Stratton is pitching like he wants to stick around in the San Francisco Giants rotation for a while.
Stratton followed up a masterful performance against the Washington Nationals last week by duct taping six shutout innings together Monday as the Giants topped the Milwaukee Brewers 2-0 at AT&T Park.
Unlike his performance on Aug. 13, in which he fanned 10 batters in 6 2/3 innings of work, Stratton labored to put six goose eggs up on the board Monday.
Stratton (2-2) threw 28 pitches to escape a jam with a pair of runners on in the first. He wiggled his way out of trouble again in the third, stranding two more runners as his pitch count reached 57.
The right-hander got by with a little help from his friends in the fourth as the Giants ended the inning on a rather unconventional 9-6-3-2 play.
After Orlando Arcia singled to right, Brandon Crawford cut off Hunter Pence's throw to third, catching the Brewers shortstop between first and second with his pants down. But as Crawford whipped the ball over to Ryder Jones at first, Stephen Vogt took off for home and got pegged out at the plate, preserving Stratton's shutout bid.
Stratton, who gave up four hits and walked two batters, eventually settled into a groove in the fifth, retiring six of the last seven batters he faced.
Although he's acquitted himself well in his last two starts, Stratton is facing an uphill climb to lock down a spot in the Giants rotation. Madison Bumgarner is back from a left shoulder sprain. Johnny Cueto is set to begin a rehabilitation assignment in Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday. Jeff Samardzija has won four of his last five starts and embattled lefty Matt Moore put together one of his best starts of the season on Friday.
The Giants scored both of their runs in the fourth. First, Brandon Crawford ripped a double down the right field line with two runners aboard, scoring Jarrett Parker, who reached on a walk, from second. Then, Nick Hundley added to the lead, bringing in Hunter Pence from third with a routine ground ball to second.
In addition to scoring the Giants first run, Parker picked up a single and a double, going 2 for 3 with a walk as he continues to capitalize on the opportunity to compete for a starting job in manager Bruce Bochy's outfield next season. Pence also went 2 for 3 with a walk in the contest.
Pablo Sandoval left the game in the eighth after getting hit by a pitch from Carlos Torres on the left forearm.
The bullpen preserved the shutout for Stratton as Matt Cain, Mark Melancon and Sam Dyson combined to pitch three shutout innings. Melancon, who's pitching with discomfort in his right elbow, made appearances in back-to-back games for the first time since he returned from the disabled list on Aug. 12.
With the win, the Giants handed Brewers starter Zach Davies (14-7) his first road loss of the season. Davies had been 7-0 away from Miller Park this season and he'd posted a 0.52 ERA in his five previous road starts.
_ Buster Posey raised eyebrows Sunday when he accused Philadelphia Phillies closer Hector Neris of throwing at him in the eighth inning of a 5-2 Giants loss. Bochy made an equally surprising comment Monday, defending Posey by calling Neris "an idiot."
Posey stepped out of character after Sunday's loss, creating controversy rather than avoiding it, suggesting that Neris hit him in the ribs with a first-pitch fastball, "on purpose" because he "didn't feel like he could get me out."
Bochy said he wasn't surprised by Posey's reaction.
"I'll say it, he's an idiot," Bochy said, before adding: "It wasn't a glancing blow. It was at his ribs, on the backside of the ribs, so no, I'm not surprised. I would have been upset, too."
Bochy walked back from the "idiot" comment later, saying that he was referring to Neris' behavior back in early June when he exchanged words on the diamond with former-Giants third baseman Eduardo Nunez during a three-game set in Philadelphia.
Posey wasn't in the lineup Monday when the Giants opened a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at AT&T Park. Bochy acknowledged that his All-Star catcher is experiencing some "general soreness" in his rib cage, but he said it has nothing do with his absence from the lineup.
_ Joe Panik could begin a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Sacramento as early as Tuesday.
Bochy said Panik would need to pass an "exertion test" in the training room after participating in baseball activities on the field to get cleared for Tuesday's game in Sacramento.
"It's a circuit test to get the heart rate up and everything," Bochy said. "If that all goes well and he's fine, there's a chance he could play tomorrow."
The Giants manager is optimistic that Panik could join the Giants for their upcoming six-game road trip, which kicks off in Arizona Friday, if he passes the test and plays in Sacramento Tuesday.
_ Panik will likely have company if he makes the trip out to Sacramento Tuesday.
Johnny Cueto's rehabilitation assignment got bumped back a day because he came down with an illness Monday. Cueto has been on the 10-day disabled list since July 15 because of blister issues on his throwing hand.
