Giants 8, Brewers 1

3/22/2008 6:22 PM

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -Matt Cain avoided a ``goofy'' start and turned his final outing in the desert into a gem.

A day after Barry Zito threw his best outing, Cain followed suit with a five-hitter over six innings. He walked one and struck out eight in the San Francisco Giants' 8-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.

``It all starts with me mentally and getting the first guy out,'' Cain said. ``Sometimes I have a goofy start. I felt pretty consistent with my delivery today. It's going to be nice to get everything started and get back to night games.''

Cain's next scheduled start comes on the first day of the Bay Bridge Series in San Francisco on Thursday against the Oakland Athletics.

``We played good defense,'' Cain said. ``Guys picked me up. You feel comfortable when guys are playing that kind of defense.''

Eugenio Velez was 3-for-5, including a triple and double, with four RBIs and his 13th steal of the spring. Fred Lewis drove in two runs, and Aaron Rowand, Bengie Molina and Brian Horwitz each had two hits.

Tony Gwynn's two hits led the Brewers, who scored an unearned run. Gwynn has hit safely in eight of his last nine games.

Milwaukee starter Claudio Vargas had his first poor outing, allowing four runs and six hits in 3 2-3 innings. He walked three and struck out two.

Eric Gagne and Derrick Turnbow each threw a scoreless inning for the Brewers.

``It's huge ... on his last couple outings, (Turnbow) has made adjustments,'' Brewers' manager Ned Yost said. ``That's a good sign.''

The Giants won their second straight for only the second time of the spring, although it comes at a good time.

``We'll see how everything goes,'' Cain said. ``It's definitely good to have these two, but we all start at zero once the season starts.''

Notes: Brewers INF Rickie Weeks, out for nearly a week, had two hits and was on base four times in a minor league game. He'll play in Sunday's 'A' game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. ... The Giants claimed INF Jose Castillo off waivers from the Florida Marlins. Giants SS Omar Vizquel worked out on the field before the game, running backward, forward, and in ``S'' curves. ... Giants 2B Ray Durham was scratched from the starting lineup for the second time in three games due to a tight left hamstring. ... Brewers INF Bill Hall went 0-for-2, ending his six-game hitting streak. ... The Brewers have lost three of their last four.