LOS ANGELES -- Barry Zito took a shutout into the eighth inning and the San Francisco Giants beat Los Angeles 7-1 on Friday night, slowing the Dodgers' drive toward an NL West title.

Despite their fourth loss in 19 games, the Dodgers' magic number for clinching the division crown was reduced to six because of Arizona's 3-2 loss at Colorado. Los Angeles leads the Diamondbacks by 31/2 games with eight to play.

Bengie Molina homered for the second consecutive game, had three hits and drove in four runs to help the Giants snap a four-game skid along with a seven-game home winning streak by the rival Dodgers. San Francisco was coming off a four-game sweep by the Diamondbacks.

Winding down the worst full season of his nine-year career, Zito (10-16) threw 119 pitches over 7 2-3 innings, allowing a run and six hits while striking out six. The 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner retired 13 of 14 batters during one stretch before Pablo Ozuna homered with one out in the eighth. The utility second baseman ended a drought of 80 games since his previous homer on Aug. 17, 2006.

Zito, tied for the major league lead in losses, began the season 0-8 with a 6.25 ERA in his first nine starts -- including a 5-0 loss at Dodger Stadium on opening day.

Greg Maddux (7-13) gave up seven runs and nine hits in five innings, preventing the right-hander from getting his 355th career win and breaking a tie with Roger Clemens for eighth place. When Maddux retired Pablo Sandoval on a popup for the second out of the third inning, the four-time Cy Young Award winner became the 13th pitcher in major league history to reach 5,000 innings.

This was the first matchup between Maddux and Zito, tied for the most starts since 2001 with 272 apiece.

The 29-year-old Zito, one of Oakland's "Big Three" with Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder, came in with a 5.48 ERA along with an NL-worst 97 walks and 111 runs allowed. The 42-year-old Maddux, one of Atlanta's "Big Three" with Tom Glavine and John Smoltz, has a 4.31 ERA and will finish with fewer than 10 wins for the first time since 1987.

Maddux, 1-4 with a 5.71 ERA in six starts since the Dodgers reacquired him from San Diego on Aug. 19, gave up hits to three of his first four batters after pitching seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball last Sunday in a no-decision against Colorado. The third hit was a two-run single by Molina, who leads the Giants with a career-high 92 RBIs.

Sandoval scored right behind Randy Winn on Molina's hit, leaping sideways to avoid backup catcher Danny Ardoin's lunging tag following the throw from center fielder Matt Kemp. Maddux and Dodgers manager Joe Torre argued with umpire Alfonso Marquez that the rookie ran out of the baseline, but the call stood.

Former Dodgers leadoff man Dave Roberts made it 3-0 in the second with an RBI single, and the Giants extended the margin to 7-0 during a four-run fifth.

Left fielder Manny Ramirez turned the wrong way on Sandoval's two-out fly toward the warning track and it went over his head for a two-run double. Molina, in his first season as a full-time cleanup hitter, hit his 15th homer two pitches later.