Nolasco throws two-hitter, gets first shutout in Marlins' win

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Ricky Nolasco won a pot of cash for his first career complete game -- thanks to the Marlins' nearly two-year drought without a pitcher going the distance.

Nolasco pitched a two-hitter for his first shutout and drove in two runs with his first double, leading the Marlins past the San Francisco Giants 6-0 on Tuesday night.

His reward: the money that had been accumulating in Florida's complete-game pool started some time after Anibal Sanchez pitched the last such game on Sept. 16, 2006, a major league-record 301 games ago.

"We've been reminded of the streak all the time. You just can't think about it," Nolasco said. "You have to go out and give your team the best chance to win."

The Marlins never even warmed up a reliever in the bullpen, a testament to the club's confidence in their 25-year-old right-hander.

"He was good, there's no getting around that," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "That's one of the best games pitched against us all year."

Jorge Cantu homered and doubled for the Marlins, who won their second in three games. Jeremy Hermida, Mike Jacobs and John Baker, who had three hits and reached base in all five plate appearances, also drove in runs.

The Marlins opened their nine-day, three-city road trip with a victory after a 2-5 homestand and will try for consecutive wins on the road for the first time since July 25-26 in Chicago.

Randy Winn beat out an infield grounder that hit off the heel of Mike Jacobs' glove with two outs in the first. As the game progressed, there was some talk about the lone hit being an error. It didn't matter, because Pablo Sandoval had a pinch-hit double for the Giants in the ninth.

"Honestly I didn't know there was any debate," Nolasco said. "He had to dive for it, so base hit. I didn't think about it. It got through."

Jacobs said he should have made the play.

"I think it probably should have went for an error," he said. "It wasn't that hard of a play and it hit off my glove. It's a play I definitely should have made. I'm kind of surprised they gave that a hit. There was a complete-game pool and he won it so I'm happy for him."

It was the Giants who were mistake prone. They committed a season-high four errors, two by first baseman Travis Ishikawa in the first two innings.

"When you have more errors than hits you know it's not a good night," Bochy said.

Nolasco (12-7) retired 21 straight following Winn's single. He walked one and struck out 11.

"It was a lot of fun knowing all my pitches were going for strikes," Nolasco said. "It's the best feeling when you're rolling along like that. I was throwing my breaking ball for strikes late in the game. Until someone showed they could hit it, I was going to keep throwing it."

Kevin Correia (2-7) lasted 4 2/3 innings, giving up five runs -- three earned -- on seven hits. He walked three and did not strike out anyone.

"I can handle all the other stuff," Correia said. "But giving up a double to the pitcher on a bad pitch was the frustrating thing. It was just that one pitch."

The Marlins have won a series in San Francisco once since 1995, and are 9-17 in the new ballpark, which opened in 2000.

Nolasco, who made his first career appearance against the Giants, was 1-2 in his previous seven starts.

Florida scored an unearned run in each of the first two innings. Nolasco hit his double as part of a three-run rally in the fifth. Cantu led off the sixth with his 22nd home run of the year.

Marlins catcher Matt Treanor promised to stay in the dugout for Wednesday night's game instead of retreating to the clubhouse to watch his wife, Misty May-Treanor, play for a gold medal in women's beach volleyball, which is scheduled at the same time as the Marlins-Giants game.

Game notes
Nolasco, 5-1 with a 2.49 ERA against the NL West, also got the game ball and said he was going to give it to his mother. ... Baker, who grew up in the East Bay, had a small but loud group of fans on hand. The three hits are a career high for the Cal-Berkeley product. ... Giants LHP Jonathan Sanchez was diagnosed with a mild rotator cuff strain and is expected to begin playing catch by the end of the week.