"The Giants hoped for a reawakening from Barry Zito and they received it Tuesday night -- along with an eye-opening day from their long-dormant offense.

Ernie Banks always beamed, "Let's play two!" The Giants could have gone for thirds. It was that kind of day for the visitors at the Friendly Confines, and it ended with the Giants 12 games over .500 for the first time all season. Their beleaguered hitters combined for an astonishing 30 hits while sweeping a doubleheader from the Chicago Cubs, winning 13-7 in the sunshine before Zito led them to a 6-3 victory in the nightcap.

What's next, a Miguel Tejada home run? Oh, there was one of those, too -- his first since April 8, a span of 225 at-bats.

The only guy with tempered enthusiasm was Zito, even though he pitched effectively through seven innings following a two-month hiatus on the disabled list. The only runs he allowed came on a two-run home run by Lou Montanez on a decent curveball at the bottom of the zone.

But Zito got away with other mistakes, which he acknowledged in a subdued, square-jawed postgame interview.

"Stuff was decent. A lot of things I could be better at," said Zito, who held the Cubs to four hits and two walks while striking out three. "But overall, it's a good win for the team."

Why so matter-of-fact after such a triumphant return?

"I don't know," Zito said. "For me, there's a lot of focus required. It's a big day anytime I start. I'll probably be more emotional tomorrow, if you want to talk then."

Zito established his full repertoire early, recording outs with four different pitches -- cutter, changeup, sinker, four-seam fastball -- in the first two innings. He faced the minimum in four of his seven innings and still hit 86 mph, a decent gun reading for him, in his final inning.

But the results didn't always match his pitch location. He needed a dynamite, diving play from shortstop Brandon Crawford to save a run in the third inning."