"So that's what it's like to be in outer space. At least, it felt that way after Barry Zito sucked all the oxygen out of Petco Park with one of his more spectacularly bad starts in five seasons as a Giant.

I just filed a game story with quotes from Zito and Bruce Bochy, among others, so check the site for that soon. Here's the notebook, which includes an update on Freddy Sanchez.

There will be a lot of words and breath back home about Zito, I'm sure. It's all too easy to panic after he messes the bed. Giants fans are conditioned to be reactionary with him, after all. But Jonathan Sanchez won't be back for at least 10 more days, and although the Giants could use Thursday's off day to skip a starter, that would break from their usual patterns of behavior. So I'd imagine Zito will get the ball again Friday against a far superior offensive team, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Giants will have to hope for the best. There's not much more to discuss, really.

The trade market is a much more interesting topic, anyway.

I'm told the Giants are not close on Carlos Beltran, who is drawing no shortage of interest. ESPN's Buster Olney reported that the Mets are willing to pay most of the $6 million or so remaining on Beltran's deal, which would be bad news for the Giants. They would rather absorb salary and give up a lesser prospect.

If the Mets are prioritizing prospects over salary relief, it'll be hard for the Giants to compete with the Red Sox, Tigers and any other number of clubs. Not only do the Giants have relatively few premium prospects, but owner Bill Neukom highly values the farm. It's not like their pitching pipeline is gushing behind Zack Wheeler, either. So it's hard to imagine the Giants giving up their best players for a rental.

Not only that, but Beltran has a clause in his contract that disallows the Mets, or any other club that would acquire him, from offering him arbitration after the season. That's a key step in getting a compensatory draft pick, as you probably know. So the Giants couldn't even get a supplemental first-rounder if they acquired Beltran and let him sign elsewhere after the season.

The Giants are looking for an impact bat at any position, but they also are on the hunt for shortstops and catchers. Hector Sanchez's callup is part of the strategy because Giants officials would like to evaluate the rookie to see if he could handle big league pitching, augment the situation and perhaps alleviate a need.

There's one guy out there who continues to make sense, though. That's Pudge Rodriguez. The Nationals don't need him, he has experience in a pennant stretch, and he'll get a glowing recommendation from new Giants special assignment scout Jim Riggleman."