Resurgent Zito May Be Turning the Corner

Barry Zito turned in one of his best starts of the season Saturday against the rival Dodgers, picking up his fourth win.

After giving up two runs in the first inning, Zito settled down and did not allow another run while pitching seven strong innings against the Dodgers.

Most encouraging for the Giants lefty was the fact that he struck out 10 batters for the first time since 2006. Despite his strong outing, Zito was actually in line to pick up his 13th loss after exiting in the middle of the seventh down 2-1. However, the Giants offense, which has struggled to provide Zito with run support all season, uncharacteristically exploded for four runs in the bottom half of the inning.

The Giants and Zito are cautiously optimistic that the former Cy Young winner is finally starting to turn the corner after his disastrous start this season. Zito has posted wins in two of his last three starts, pitching into the seventh and giving up no more than two earned runs in those outings.