SAN FRANCISCO — Jonathan Sanchez pitched a no-hitter and that was amazing enough.

If not for an eighth-inning bobble, he could've been perfect.

The San Francisco Giants left-hander threw the majors' first no-hitter of the season last night and came within a whisper of a perfect game. The only runner to reach against him in an 8-0 victory over the San Diego Padres came on an eighth-inning error by third baseman Juan Uribe.

Gold Glove center fielder Aaron Rowand saved the gem with a leaping catch at the center-field fence to rob pinch-hitter Edgar Gonzalez for the second out of the ninth inning.

"I was watching the whole time. I thought it was gone," Sanchez said.

The 26-year-old Sanchez (3-8) returned to the rotation after a nearly three-week demotion to the bullpen — and only got the call because 303-game winner Randy Johnson went on the disabled list this week with a shoulder injury.

With his father, Sirgfredo, and a friend cheering from the stands, Sanchez threw a called third strike past Everth Cabrera to finish his first career complete game. Sanchez walked toward the plate and thrust his arms in the air as catcher Eli Whiteside rushed in for a big hug and the Giants poured out of their dugout.

Among the first to congratulate Sanchez was Johnson, the last major leaguer to throw a perfect game, and Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti, who tossed a no-hitter for the New York Yankees on July 4, 1983.

It was the Giants' 13th no-hitter and first since John Montefusco did it on Sept. 29, 1976, at Atlanta. Their last one in San Francisco came when Ed Halicki beat the New York Mets in the second game of a doubleheader on Aug. 24, 1975.

The Padres were no-hit for the seventh time and first since Bud Smith blanked them 4-0 for St. Louis on Sept. 3, 2001.

Sanchez did it on 110 pitches, 77 for strikes.

Sanchez had a five-start winless stretch earlier this season in which he went 0-4. He told The Associated Press two days earlier that he hadn't lost his confidence in his ability to pitch and be a starter in the major leagues — and manager Bruce Bochy hadn't lost faith, either.

"They gave me a second chance. You see what happened tonight," Sanchez said.

Sanchez pitched the first no-hitter in the majors since Carlos Zambrano for the Chicago Cubs against the Houston Astros in Milwaukee on Sept. 14, 2008. That game was relocated from Houston to Miller Park because of Hurricane Ike.

Sanchez's father and friend stood nervously — with the rest of the crowd of 30,298 at AT&T Park on a cool night in the Bay Area — and his dad couldn't look at the end. But Sanchez's dad quickly got down to the dugout to congratulate a pitcher who made his 51st major league start the most special of his career after months of struggles.

Cabrera, the last batter of the game, squared to bunt on the first pitch — bringing a chorus of boos from the crowd. Sanchez then froze Cabrera with a breaking ball, setting a career-high with his 11th strikeout. Cabrera protested the call, looking at plate umpire Brian Runge in disbelief.

Sanchez finished the Giants' major league-leading 13th shutout of the year, following All-Star and reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum's no-hit bid into the seventh inning a night earlier against San Diego.

Pablo Sandoval hit a three-run homer to center off Josh Banks (1-1) in the fifth. Rowand also had three RBIs.

REDS 3, METS 0: Bronson Arroyo (9-8) threw a four-hitter for his second career shutout, Joey Votto and Laynce Nix homered off Fernando Nieve (3-3) and visiting Cincinnati handed New York its third shutout in six games.

Phillies 3, Pirates 2: Joe Blanton (6-4) allowed one run and four hits over 7 1/3 innings, Jayson Werth drove in two runs and fellow All-Star Shane Victorino went 3 for 4 with two doubles for host Philadelphia.

Cardinals 8, Cubs 3: Albert Pujols hit his 32nd homer and Ryan Ludwick drove in four runs in support of Chris Carpenter (7-3), who worked six innings, allowing seven hits and three runs as visiting St. Louis beat Chicago.

Diamondbacks 8, Marlins 0: All-Star Dan Haren (9-5) threw a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts for his second career shutout, Felipe Lopez hit a three-run homer to help host Arizona beat Florida for its sixth victory in seven games.

Dodgers 12, Brewers 8: Manny Ramirez tied Mickey Mantle with his 536th career home run, and Matt Kemp hit a 10th-inning grand slam and made a fantastic catch for the final out to lead visiting Los Angeles over struggling Milwaukee.

BRAVES 4, ROCKIES 1: Derek Lowe (8-7) gave up one run and four hits in six innings before leaving after a 52-minute rain delay, and Garrett Anderson and Diory Hernandez hit two-run doubles to lead visiting Atlanta past Colorado.

Astros 6, Nationals 5: Geoff Blum drove in Miguel Tejada with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth to lift Houston. Astros starter Roy Oswalt left in the seventh with numbness in two fingers in his right hand.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RED SOX 1, ROYALS 0: Dustin Pedroia doubled in a run in the bottom of the eighth inning, Jon Lester (8-6) allowed four hits through eight innings to beat Kansas City and Brian Bannister (6-7), who gave up a run and three hits in 7 2/3 innings.

Blue Jays 2, Orioles 0: Brett Cecil (3-1) allowed four hits in six innings and Alex Rios hit two doubles and scored a run to help visiting Toronto hold off Baltimore to snap a three-game losing streak. Oriole Scott Rolen went 0 of 4 to end his 25-game hitting streak.

Rays 6, Athletics 0: Jeff Niemann (8-4) pitched a six-hitter for his second shutout of the season and host Tampa Bay got home runs from Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria to hand Oakland its 11th loss in 15 games.

Tigers 5, Indians 1: Edwin Jackson (7-4) gave up a run and four hits in seven innings, Marcus Thames hit a two-run homer and Josh Anderson had a two-run single to lead host Detroit over Cleveland for its third straight victory.

Twins 6, White Sox 4: Joe Mauer's two-out, run-scoring single snapped a 4-all seventh-inning tie, host Minnesota added another run in the eighth, and Joe Nathan worked a perfect ninth for his 23rd save in beating Chicago.

Rangers 6, Mariners 4: Michael Young hit one of three home runs by visiting Texas, a three-run shot in the third inning, Hank Blalock hit a solo shot and Nelson Cruz added a two-run blast in a victory over Seattle.

Angels 10, Yankees 6: Kendry Morales hit a three-run home to tie it, Chone Figgins' RBI triple in the sixth gave host Los Angeles a 6-5 lead, and Erick Aybar's three-run shot made it 10-6 in the seventh in a victory over New York.