Yeah, the Giants lefty with a so-so fastball who, as a rookie last season, owned a super changeup that appeared to rocket out of his hand, but then crept to the plate at some 73 mph.

His out pitch, the rally-killer that helped him forge an undefeated record in 2004.

That one-pitch wonder is no more.

It's funny how a year can change a man, for now. At 24, older, smarter and more consistent than ever, Lowry is blowing away the opposition with more judicious use of that changeup, utilizing a better fastball, burgeoning slider and a resurrected curve that slices wickedly through the strike zone like a scythe.

All Lowry's weaponry was showcased on Monday as he blanked the Philadelphia Phillies over 8 2/3 innings in San Francisco's 5-0 victory at SBC Park in the opener of a nine-game homestand they hope will propel them back into the National League West chase.

The Giants remain in fourth place, but only six games back of leading San Diego.

"He was great," enthused manager Felipe Alou, who was booed by the Giants crowd when he took Lowry out only one out away from his first shutout of the season.

"That was a no-brainer, to take him out, because I remember that I had to take him out because of a blister five days ago," said Alou, dismissing the hoots. "And 128 pitches is a lot. We would like to have him back five days from now."

Lowry, 10-11 with a rotation-leading 3.81 ERA, was helped by Moises Alou's three-run homer in the third innings, plus J.T. Snow's RBI double and the pitcher's own sac fly in the sixth.

A nice cushion, but on this night, Lowry was seemingly at his best, and when he escaped a dicey bases-loaded no-out situation in the seventh with a strikeout of Chase Utley and a brilliantly turned double play, Alou thought it was the quintessential Lowry at work -- especially the curveball that Utley chased and missed.

"That was the best I have ever seen [Lowry] throw -- that one pitch is getting better and that is bad news for everybody," said Alou.

Lowry admitted he wanted that shutout, a goal of every starter, but agreed it was the right decision.

"Anytime you go out there and have a shutout going, you start the ninth wanting to finish it, but I had 128 pitches at the time and it was the right move to make. I want to be ready to go in five days," he said.

The second-year hurler, his hair and face showing remnants of a shaving-cream pie, compliments of reliever Scotty Eyre, says he is indeed a wiser, more discerning pitcher now, able to mix his pitches well. He credited catcher Mike Matheny with great selections.

"I'm starting to use the curveball more to add a fourth pitch and it's really starting to come around," said Lowry. "Hopefully, I can build consistency. We don't want to go to two strikes and have guys looking just for a changeup. We want to use the slider, the fastball away, something else in their mind."

Lowry is now 4-0 with a 0.58 ERA and 27 strikeouts in August.

Moises, his power more subdued this season because of injuries and illness, is still bothered by a hamstring strain that takes a while to loosen up and didn't feel particularly satisfactory at the plate against Philly pitcher Jon Lieber.

"I got lucky there -- I did," said Moises of his 14th homer of the year. "I wasn't seeing the ball as good as I wanted to today. I got a good pitch to hit and drove it. I was feeling too strong and trying too hard today."

Adding defensive magic to the Giants' victory -- their fifth victory in the last eight games -- was shortstop Omar Vizquel.

He started that crucial threat-busting double play in the seventh and then did a 360-degree catch and throw of Tomas Perez's grounder beyond second base in the eighth.

Vizquel also did a ditto move on Bobby Abreu's short shot past the bag in the ninth that could have given Lowry the complete game.

"He got all the pitches going for him today and it was fun," said Vizquel. "I thought [Abreu] was out. I went to see it on TV and it was a bang-bang play. He should have given it to us, the way [Lowry] was pitching."