Giants 3, Brewers (ss) 2 (7 1/2 innings)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP)—The lights went out, ending the San Francisco Giants’ 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.

San Francisco’s Brian Dallimore was leading off the bottom of the eighth inning and Gary Glover was looking in for the sign—with a 1-2 count—when the power failed at Scottsdale Stadium, sending everything into darkness for several moments.

“It went dark right away,” Dallimore said. “I looked back and I couldn’t see the fans, the catcher or the umpire.”

Auxiliary lights came on within a minute, but the stadium never regained full illumination.

“I just stood at the plate for a while,” Dallimore said. “I didn’t know what was going on. I’ve never had that happen before. It was kind of strange.

“When the auxiliary lights came back on I saw their players walking toward the dugout. I guess things were going my way when I don’t have to finish my at bat down 1-2.”

The Giants’ Jason Schmidt allowed his first run of the spring and insists he has yet to find his rhythm. He gave up a home run to Chad Moeller, snapping an eight-inning scoreless streak.

“There will be a stretch of four pitches where I felt I had it and then all of a sudden I didn’t know what I was doing,” Schmidt said. “I’m still out of synch.”

Schmidt allowed two hits and walked three while striking out seven. He’s given up four hits and has 11 strikeouts in 10 innings for an ERA of 0.90.

Brewers’ starter Chris Capuano pitched three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out five.

“I feel right on track,” Capuano said. “I’m trying to build my arm strength for the start of the season. My number one goal is to pitch a full, healthy season and give them quality innings.”

Capuano spent three separate stints on the disabled list last year with a quad muscle pull, pain in the back of his left shoulder and left elbow tendinitis.

“It was like a chain reaction,” he said. “The leg injury affected everything else. I’d like to put it behind me and work to get into rhythm.”

Capuano walked the bases loaded in the first inning but then struck out Marquis Grissom and Michael Tucker to get out of the jam.

Lance Niekro, the son of former major league pitcher Joe Niekro, singled home two runs in the fifth to give the Giants the lead for good.

“I want to give Niekro all the at-bats he deserves,” Giants manager Felipe Alou said. “That’s a beautiful hitter; that’s a beautiful thing. I can’t ignore the fact he’s a good hitter. The first swing I saw that kid take, I knew.”

Todd Linden also drove in a run for the Giants. J.J. Hardy tripled home a run for the Brewers.

Notes:

The Giants optioned RHP David Aardsma, LHP Brian Burres, C Justin Knoedler, OF Frederick Lewis, OF Daniel Ortmeier, RHP Alfredo Simon, LHP Erick Threets, and RHP Merkin Valdez to Triple-A Fresno and reassigned LHP Armando Almanza, RHP Matt Cain and RHP Brandon Villafuerte to their minor-league camp. … The Brewers optioned RHP Luis Pena to Single-A Brevard County, LHP Jeff Housman to Triple-A Nashville and OF Brad Nelson to Double-A Huntsville. … Giants RHP Jerome Williams was scheduled to pitch on the side after returning from Hawaii, where he was with his ailing father. … Capuano will participate in an online chat on Thursday beginning at 3 p.m. EST on the Brewers’ Web site.