MILWAUKEE � Ryan Sadowski had a big problem on his hands while making his major league debut Sunday afternoon, but it wasn�t with the Milwaukee Brewers� powerful lineup.

How could he keep all his souvenir baseballs from getting mixed up?
�I�ve got one from the first pitch, one from the first strikeout and one from my first hit,� said Sadowski, who pitched with uncommon poise over six innings as the Giants won 7-0 at Miller Park to avoid a three-game sweep.
What about the ball that Brewers slugger Ryan Braun smoked off his thigh?
�I�ve got that, too,� he said. �It�s still in my leg.�
Sadowski�s dry wit wasn�t the only quality he displayed. The six-year minor leaguer stepped into a launching pad and stayed grounded, calmly spotting his sinker, cutter and curveball to befuddle one of the league�s most fearsome offensive clubs.
He became the first Giants starting pitcher in more than a decade to win in his major league debut � something not even Matt Cain or Tim Lincecum managed to do. Joe Nathan was the last, on April 21, 1999.
�I know a lot of people probably didn�t expect me to be in this situation, but I�m happy to be here and pitch my game,� said Sadowski, 26, a 12th-round draft pick out of the University of Florida in 2003. �You know, I think the only one who wasn�t surprised was me. I feel I�ve gotten better throughout the year and I felt I pitched better than my numbers appeared.�
The Giants supported Sadowski by battering Brewers opening-day starter Jeff Suppan for the second time this season.
Nate Schierholtz went 4 for 5 while batting cleanup in place of a resting Bengie Molina. Schierholtz even hit a one-handed home run that scraped the right-field fence. Perhaps the universe was getting square with him after Brewers center fielder Mike Cameron reached over the fence to take one away Saturday.
Giants Manager Bruce Bochy wouldn�t say if he�d leave Schierholtz, a left-handed hitter, in the cleanup spot when the Giants continue their trip against four right-handed starters in St. Louis.
The manager also wouldn�t guarantee Sadowski another start, saying he�d discuss both matters with General Manager Brian Sabean. The Giants could option Sadowski back to Triple-A Fresno so they aren�t playing a man short on the bench against the Cardinals.
�We�ll see what we�re going to do,� Bochy said. �The kid was great. He gave us what we needed after a tough loss. He swung the bat, fielded the position � he did it all today. The kid should be proud. It�s a long road for him to get here.�
Sadowski got double-play grounders to end the second and sixth innings. He pitched out of his biggest jam in the fourth, after Casey McGehee hit a generously scored double that clanked off Fred Lewis� glove in left field. The key out came when Sadowski got Cameron to ground into a fielder�s choice at the plate.
Sadowski hadn�t set foot in a major league stadium since 2006, when he spent the year rehabbing at the club�s minor league complex in Scottsdale, Ariz., after shoulder surgery.
�Oh goodness,� he said. �I was stuck in Arizona with only a bike. I�d find a way to go to a few Diamondbacks games, usually when the Giants were in town.
�I was on that bike a lot.�
The Brewers would like to get off this ride. They are 0-4 this season when facing a pitcher making his big league debut. But Braun had no reservations about tipping his cap.
�He was pretty confident and comfortable and threw the ball well,� Braun said. �You go up there the first time through the lineup and try to get a feel for what they do, what their pitches do. He threw the ball well. He deserved to win today.�
The Giants had lost 16 of their previous 19 games at Miller Park, including six consecutive. But they had just the charm they needed to prevent a sweep. Everything went Sadowski�s way, right down to the Sausage Race.
The Polish dog prevailed.