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Lincecum superb behind offensive outburst
By Chris Haft / MLB.com | 4/19/2011 1:53 AM ET
DENVER -- The anticipated theme of the Giants' series opener against the
Colorado Rockies seemed familiar, with the reigning champion facing the
talented upstart.
That storyline was immediately replaced by the Giants' dominance.
But ultimately, San Francisco's 8-1 triumph Monday proved to be all about Tim
Lincecum, as is so often the case when he performs.
Lincecum, who has met numerous standards of pitching excellence, approached
another one by sustaining a no-hitter for 6 1/3 innings. Carlos Gonzalez's
clean single to right field ended that drama. But Lincecum carried on,
allowing Colorado's lone run and three hits in 7 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, San
Francisco won its fifth game in six tries to trim the Rockies' National
League West lead to three games and dent their image of invincibility.
"They're a hot team coming into this series," Lincecum said. "Hopefully the
fact that we're smacking the ball around well and pitching well will kind of
make them a little bit more inferior to us, I guess."
Virtually any ballclub can look subdued against Lincecum (2-1), who also
struck out 10 Rockies. It was his 28th double-digit strikeout performance,
tying him with Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson for the most in franchise
history.
"He's always good, but tonight was some of his best stuff that I've seen,"
Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said.
Lincecum praised catcher Buster Posey's collaboration with him.
"I didn't shake him off at all," Lincecum said. "We were just sticking to the
game plan of speed 'em up, slow 'em down, speed 'em up, slow 'em down."
Gonzalez came the closest to managing a hit when he smacked a sharp grounder
to the right side with two outs in the first inning. Giants second baseman
Freddy Sanchez, who also contributed offensively with a second-inning homer,
dove to snare the ball and came up throwing to record the out at first base.
Other mildly close calls occurred in the first inning, when Jonathan Herrera
tapped a grounder to first base and nearly slid under Aubrey Huff's tag, and
in the third, when shortstop Miguel Tejada caught a popup in left-center
field that he, left fielder Pat Burrell and center fielder Aaron Rowand had
trouble locating in the leaden sky.
Lincecum, the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, had taken a no-hitter
through six innings just once in his career: July 9, 2009, against San Diego.
Hoping to further Lincecum's effort, manager Bruce Bochy bolstered the
Giants' defense in the seventh inning by installing Brandon Belt at first
base and Darren Ford in center field while moving Rowand to left.
"I'd be lying if I didn't think [no-hitter]," Bochy said. "The stuff
[Lincecum] was throwing, sure. At that point, we were getting superstitious
and not saying anything."
Lincecum entered the seventh inning having thrown just 70 pitches.
"I really wasn't thinking about it up until that inning," Lincecum said. "I
was just trying to throw strikes."
Luck appeared to be on his side when Herrera connected solidly on a drive to
right field that Nate Schierholtz caught in front of the warning track.
Suddenly, batted balls weren't flying out of Coors Field. This seemed to bode
well for Lincecum.
Then Gonzalez rapped a 3-1 changeup, ending Lincecum's bid to become the 14th
pitcher in franchise history to fashion a no-hitter.
"I was just expecting that pitch," Gonzalez said.
Still, the outcome remained lopsided. Bochy dismissed the notion that his
defending World Series winners needed to assert themselves against the
Rockies.
"It wasn't about sending a message or anything," he said. "It was about going
out there and playing well."
Players differed, however.
"It was certainly important for us to come in and set the tone," Burrell said.
Referring to the deficit in the standings that the Giants would have faced
had Colorado swept them in this series, Huff said, "It's tough to come back
when you're behind seven [games]."
Immediately, the imbalance was shocking as the Giants scored a season-high
five runs in the first inning and roared to an 8-0 lead through three
innings. Burrell and Schierholtz delivered back-to-back homers off Rockies
starter Esmil Rogers (2-1) in the first inning, each bearing significant
impact.
Burrell's was a three-run drive with two outs.
"I haven't gotten a hit with anybody on base all year," said Burrell, who
actually was 1-for-15 in those situations.
Schierholtz reached the right-field upper deck, marking the 31st time a
player had planted a ball in that area. He became the only Giant to earn this
distinction besides Barry Bonds, who did it twice. It highlighted a three-hit
evening for Schierholtz, who added a third-inning RBI single in his second
start of the season.
"It's not the easiest job in the world," Schierholtz said of his part-time
status, "but you take whatever playing time you get and know your role."
Even such a commanding lead can be tenuous at hitter-friendly Coors Field.
But not with Lincecum on the mound.
Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the
approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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