The Giants sent Armando Benitez back to where he enjoyed his greatest success, trading the struggling closer to the Marlins for reliever Randy Messenger on Thursday night. Benitez, who recently rankled the team by blaming San Francisco hitters for not scoring enough runs, was not in the clubhouse after the Giants' 4-2 loss to the Mets and his locker was completely cleaned out. Benitez was 0-3 with nine saves in 11 chances and a 4.67 ERA. He had been getting booed at home, as he was last season. "He's been hounded by the media, the fans and some teammates," Giants GM Brian Sabean said. "To think he's the root of our problems the last couple of years is ridiculous. "The one thing I know is he's strong enough to be a whipping boy. I don't revel in his demise. It's time for everybody to do a gut check."