Giants pitcher Barry Zito worries less, dominates more

• Barry Zito will start Game 5 of the NLCS Friday night for the Giants
• Zito, who went 15-8 in 2012, compiled his most wins since going 16-10 for the A's in 2006
• Zito credits his resurgence to letting go of bitterness after years of getting ripped in the media

ST. LOUIS — Expectations have changed considerably since Barry Zito signed his landmark seven-year, $126 million contract in December 2006.

Rather than being an ace, the San Francisco Giants just want him to be a solid fifth starter. Rather than throw shutouts, they'll settle for six innings. And rather than dominate, he'll be happy to simply enjoy the game.

It's been a major factor in his career renaissance after years of misery.

Zito, who will start for the Giants in Frieday night's Game 5 of the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, went 15-8 with a 4.15 ERA during the regular season. It was his first winning record as a Giant, and his highest number of wins since going 16-10 with the Oakland Athletics in 2006.

Zito made some adjustments in his pitch selection and got better run support than in the past, but he said the biggest difference was letting go of the bitterness that developed after years of getting ripped in the news and social media, as well as on call-in shows. Zito was also booed at the ballpark.

"When you start hating the world, it's a heavy burden on your shoulders every day," he said. "You can't hate the world. You can't get (mad) at every little person that says something to you.

"A lot of times people make really nasty comments, and I can empathize with them. They're probably angry or frustrated in their own life. They don't know me, but they want to take it out on somebody. I'm able to see that now."

Adding to that perspective were the changes Zito dealt with in his personal life. His mother, Roberta, passed away in November 2008, and his father, Joe, came close to dying two years ago from a heart ailment. Zito, a longtime bachelor, also got married last December to Amber Seyer, a former Miss Missouri.

Now 34, Zito is far from the free-spirited youngster who teamed with Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder to form perhaps baseball's best pitching trio with the A's of the early 2000s. But he says regaining his enthusiasm for the game has led to rediscovering success on the mound.

"We have to remember we play this game because we love it," he said. "We don't play this game to make some kind of fortune or be famous. We play this game because we have fun. When you do something you love and do it with passion, you get rewarded."

Zito rewarded the Giants with one of his best stretches in orange and black late this season, when he went 7-0 with a 3.92 ERA in his final 11 starts, all of them San Francisco wins.

The improved run support had much to do with all those victories. The Giants averaged five runs a game after the All-Star break, and Zito's run support of 4.69 a game this season was eighth best in the National League.

He also reinvented himself, relying less on his signature curveball and developing an effective cutter.

"He's throwing more strikes and working ahead of the count more,'' said Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero. "He has mixed his pitches better. It's not just curveball, curveball, which is what he was doing before. He's using his fastball more and keeping batters off balance."

Zito will need all his weapons against the Cardinals, who scored the second-most runs in the NL this season and have battered him over the years. He has a career 2-6 record with a 4.89 ERA in nine starts vs. them.

Several of the matchups favor Cardinals batters, especially when he faces Allen Craig (4-for-10 with three homers off Zito), Yadier Molina (.375 in 16 at-bats) and reserve utilityman Skip Schumaker (.438 in 16 at-bats).

"There's certain times that you get guys on a hot streak or sometimes you throw good pitches and guys hit them," Zito said. "You can't change your game plan too much."

But you can change your approach, which Zito plans to do compared to his last outing, vs. the Cincinnati Reds in Game 4 of the NL Division Series.

It was his first postseason start since 2006, having been left off the roster during the Giants' march to the 2010 World Series title, and Zito went back to the nibbling style that has frustrated Giants fans for years.

He walked in a run and allowed eight baserunners and two runs, getting lifted after 2 2/3 innings in a game the Giants rallied to win as part of their NLDS comeback.

Zito can redeem himself for that performance tonight, and Hector Sanchez, who has caught him through the season, said his ability to establish his four pitches will be a key.

"It's really important for a pitcher to put in hitters' minds the idea that they may see four different pitches, '' Sanchez said. "He's got more confidence in his pitches and he's more aggressive on the mound.''