Tim Lincecum shrugged off his August woes with an impressive outing, leading the Giants to a 2-1 victory and a home series win over the Colorado Rockies.

The two-time Cy Young winner locked horns with Ubaldo Jiminez (17-6) for the entire evening.  Each starter tossed 8 innings, with Lincecum (12-9) striking out nine and stingily only surrendering one run on five hits and a walk.  Carlos Gonzalez’s solo shot (30) leading off the fourth was the only runs the Rockies would score.  The Giants got to Jiminez after a two-out single by Mike Fontenot scored Jose Guillen from second in the fifth inning.   Pinch-runner, speedster Darren Ford, recalled from the minors earlier in the day for the expansion of rosters, took third on a wild pitch by Jiminez and scored when Miguel Olivo’s throw went into left field, setting the final score.  Brian Wilson threw a 1-2-3 ninth for his 38th save.  Jiminez struck out ten in the losing effort.

In the opener, Jonathan Sanchez brought a shutout into the ninth but the Rockies rallied for two off Wilson and won, 2-1.  After Sanchez walked Dexter Fowler to lead off the inning, Wilson (3-2) entered and gave up a run scoring triple to Carlos Gonzalez who subsequently scored after a throwing error by Freddy Sanchez on the play.   Huston Street pitched a perfect ninth for his thirteenth save of the season.  Rafael Bettencourt (5-1) picked up the victory for pitching the eighth.  Jorge De La Rosa pitched seven strong innings, striking out nine, for the no-decision.

In the second game, Andres Torres broke a 2-2, eighth inning tie with his thirteenth homerun of the season and the Giants won, 5-2.  After Torres’ shot off Matt Belisle (6-5) the Giants loaded the bases and Buster Posey followed with a two run double off Joe Beimel.   Jeremy Affeldt (4-3) gave up the lead in the eighth on a solo homer by Melvin Mora (4), but picked up the win after the Giants rallied.  Madison Bumgarner was dominant, tossing six innings of quality ball, surrendering only one run on five hits.   Esmil Rogers was equally good, giving up only two runs in the same span of innings.  Wilson redeemed himself by pitching a perfect ninth for his 37th save.

Great series.  Timely, too.  Even the blown opener was alright.  The Giants showed heart and that says a lot.  Perfect timing, too, as the Padres appear to be falling apart.  The best part of this series was seeing Lincecum back.  Wow, that is huge.  Also nice to see that Pablo Sandoval’s bat is doing its thing again.  Nice call inserting Ford into this game.  His speed is a difference maker on the paths.  However, the starting pitching is the story from this series.  If they are starting to heat up, this is a perfect time.  Bring on the rest of the west.  This team is ready. 

The Giants will next travel to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers on Friday night.  The Rockies will travel to San Diego to play the Padres, also on Friday evening.  Go Giants!!!  Go Rockies!!!

Matt Cain snapped a personal dry stretch against the Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants placed more distance between themselves and third place in the National League West division with a 2-0 victory over Los Angeles Sunday night, securing a three game weekend sweep over their rivals.

Cain (9-8), 0-8 career against the Dodgers, tossed 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball, striking out seven while only surrendering four hits.  Edgar Renteria supplied the only offense on the day for the Giants with a two run, two out sixth inning triple off Clayton Kershaw (10-6).  Brian Wilson struck out two in the ninth for his 31st save. 

In the opener, Tim Lincecum (11-4) dominated over seven innings, striking out nine in a 6-5 victory.  Lincecum surrendered two runs and left with a 5-2 lead.  Aubrey Huff blasted his 20th homerun in the seventh off reliever Jeff Weaver, giving him three RBI on the day.  Juan Uribe earlier homered (15) off Carlos Monasterios (3-3).  The Huff homer proved valuable as the Dodgers rallied against the cobbled together Giant closing corps, thrust into action due to back spasms for Brian Wilson.  Los Angeles scored three times in the frame off of a combination of Sergio Romo, Denny Bautista, starter Jonathan Sanchez, and Chris Ray, the latter of which recorded the final out for his second save of the season. 

In the middle game, Pat Burrell launched a two run homerun (8) off closer Jonathan Broxton (3-4) in the eighth inning to give the Giants a 2-1 victory.  Broxton entered with a runner on and a 1-0 lead.  The Dodgers wasted a stellar outing by Chad Billingsley, who went six-and-two-third shutout, two hit innings for the no decision.  Matching his dominance in no decision land was Barry Zito, who went seven, giving up one run on three hits.  Guillermo Mota (1-3) recorded the final four outs for the victory. 

Well, well, well.  What a series.  Great outcome.  Awesome pitching by the Giants staff.  Yes, the boys in blue are a lesser offense, but wins are wins and they’re still getting paid major league salaries.   I saw newcomer Javier Lopez in the Sunday game and he looked incredible.  Great pick up to face lefties.  I have no idea why Bautista is still on this team.  He was awful when he pitched.  Luckily, he didn’t hurt the team too badly.  Anywho, all in all, a great series.   Excellent two out hitting by both Burrell and Renteria.  I am still curious why Travis Ishikawa hasn’t been starting but then, if the Giants win, why worry about it, for now.  Any suggestions would be appreciated from this perspective.

The Giants have an off day tomorrow before two games in Colorado, followed by four in Atlanta.  It just doesn’t get any easier for these guys.  The Dodgers will next play the San Diego Padres at home tomorrow night.  Go Giants!!!

Travis Ishikawa’s extra-inning single led the San Francisco Giants to a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks and capped off a four game sweep in the desert.

Batting with two out in the tenth and the score knotted at three, Ishikawa stroked a single to right field, driving home pinch-runner Eli Whiteside as the Giants continued their post-All-Star game tear.  Rookie phenom Buster Posey culminated a four-hit day with a double to lead off the inning before being lifted for pinch-runner.   Posey also drove in a run with a double in the first and extended his hit streak to 18 games.  Tim Lincecum went eight dominant innings, striking out five, but ended up with a no decision.  Sergio Romo (3-3) struck out two in the bottom of the ninth for the victory and Brian Wilson pitched a perfect tenth for his 29th save.  Esmerling Vasquez (1-3) picked up the loss.   Barry Enright pitched well for the Diamondbacks and drove in two runs with a double and two hits.

In the openeer, Matt Cain (8-8) shone, evening up his record while striking out nine over eight shutout innings, as the Giants won 3-0.  Andres Torres homered (9) and Buster Posey had two hits.  Brian Wilson tossed the ninth for his 27th save.  Rodrigo Lopez (5-9) took the loss, despite seven solid innings.

In the second game, Aubrey Huff homered twice (18, 19), driving in three and the Giants withstood Kelly Johnson hitting for the cycle and driving in three runs, as San Francisco prevailed 7-4.  Jonathan Sanchez was wild but struck out ten in five innings and Chris Ray (3-0) picked up the victory.  The Giants took advantage of two throwing errors by starter Edwin Jackson (6-9) in a three run seventh inning, highlighted by a two run triple off the bat off Andres Torres.   Brian Wilson tossed the ninth for his 28th save.

In the third game, the Giants worked around a scare with Juan Uribe hitting a grand slam (13) and rookie Madison Bumgarner dominating for seven innings as San Francisco won, 10-4.  Bumgarner (4-2)  struck out seven over seven strong innings.  Ian Kennedy (5-8) picked up the loss.  The scare came in the fourth inning when Eugenio Velez, in the dugout, was struck in the face by a line drive foul off the bat of teammate Pat Burrell.  He was conscious and taken to the hospital for tests.  Preliminary results were negative.

Well, great series for the Orange and Black.  Nice to see the perfect combination of offense and incredible pitching.  A little more focus from Jonathan Sanchez would be nice.  Walks are killers.  Prayers with Velez as this was a fluke injury.  He was placed on the DL for this and the team recalled Ryan Rohlinger.  Get back soon, Pharoah.  Also, Pablo Sandoval took off after yesterday’s game.  I guess he was heading back to Venezuela to take care of personal issues.  Again, prayers that he gets this taken care of.  Such things might be contributors to his slow start this season.  Again, great series by the Giants, especially on the road.  No real complaints.  Posey is awesome.  The team needed him and he hasn’t disappointed.  Go Giants!!!!

The Giants will next host the Florida Marlins on Monday night.  The Arizona Diamondbacks will travel and play the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday evening.

The San Francisco Giants overcame a domination at the hands of rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg to win the final two games and take the weekend road series from the Washington Nationals. 

In the opener, Strasburg (3-2), facing the Giants for the first time, shook off a leadoff homerun by Andres Torres (7) to win, 8-1.  The Washington hurler went six innings, striking out eight and giving up only three hits and one run.  Adam Dunn homered twice (21,22) off Matt Cain (6-8), driving in three runs and Willie Harris rapped out three hits as the Nationals offense came alive in support of the rookie.   Torres left the game in the fifth with a left groin strain and will be day to day.   The Giants need him healthy. 

For the middle game, the Giant bats returned to the world of the living, riding an offensive fireworks show by San Francisco’s own rookie phenom, Buster Posey, to a 10-5 victory.   Posey went 4-5 with three RBI on a double and homerun (7) to pace an eleven hit outpouring.  Aaron Rowand also homered (8) and Juan Uribe drove in three runs as the Giants lifted Jonathan Sanchez up from an early hook and rallied against reliever Tyler Clippard (8-6).  Santiago Casilla (2-2) picked up the victory.  Mike Morse homered (4) in a losing effort.

In the rubber match, another Giant rookie, Madison Bumgarner (2-2) evened up his record, taking a shutout into the seventh inning as the Giants won, 6-2.  Bumgarner went six-plus innings, scattering seven hits and one run, striking out six, and walking none as he won his second straight start.  Travis Ishikawa continued his torrid hitting, driving in three runs on a 2-3 performance.  Buster Posey continued to impress, driving in two with a triple off Livan Hernandez (6-5).  Sergio Romo pitched the Giants out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh and Brian Wilson collected the last four outs for his 23rd save. 

Where to start?  First things, Strasburg looked awesome for the Nationals.  Too bad that they don’t have five of him in their rotation.  Good thing for the Giants, actually.  Bumgarner looked great.  I can’t wait to see how he does in the second half.  Ditto Posey.  This guy’s been awesome.  Let’s keep those accolades coming with Ishikawa.  Anybody who reads this knows I’m a big Ishi guy.  I think the Giants finally are, too.  Last year, he destroyed pitchers at home.  These last few games, he’s doing it on the road.  Keep it up!!!  Only concerns, what’s up with Cain and Sanchez?  Both have been getting shelled of late.  Hope the break will give them a chance to reflect and regroup.  Ditto Pablo Sandoval.  Maybe it’s time for him to return to his hacking roots.  Just a thought. 

The Giants will next play the New York Mets at home on Thursday evening.  The Nationals will host the Florida Marlins on Friday evening.  Enjoy the All-Star Game.  Here’s hoping the orange and black representatives (Brian Wilson and Tim Lincecum) do awesome.  Go Giants!!!  Catch you all on the other side.

The San Francisco Giants had a perfect set up, starting the top of their rotation for a home weekend series against the Oakland Athletics.  The results were equally perfect as the Giants beat the A’s in three straight, exacting revenge on an Oakland team that swept them not two weeks earlier. 

In the opener, Tim Lincecum (6-2), who of late had appeared human, regained his usual dominance.  The two time Cy Young winning phenom went eight innings, surrendering two runs and striking out seven while walking only one as the San Francisco won 6-2.  Pat Burrell hit his first homerun for the Giants (3) and Bengie Molina added a blast (3) for good measure off loser Gio Gonzalez (6-4).  After Jeremy Affeldt had trouble to start the ninth, Brian Wilson came in to put out the fire, recording the final out via strikeout for his 16th save.

In the middle game, Barry Zito (7-2) finally beat his old team, winning by a margin of 5-4.  The Giants staked Zito to a 5-1 lead behind two RBI by Juan Uribe and a homerun off the bat of Pablo Sandoval (5), all off loser Ben Sheets (2-6).   Zito struck out six in seven innings,  giving up two runs.   The Athletics made it close, rallying against Guillermo Mota in the seventh, but never got closer than one run.  Brian Wilson entered in the eighth, picking up the final five outs for his 17th save.   Matt Carson hit his first homerun of the season off Zito in a losing effort.

In the finale, Matt Cain (6-4) continued his dominance of anybody holding a bat, winning his fourth straight start, 6-2.  Cain pitched seven dominant innings, scattering eight hits and striking out four.  The Giants backed him with power as Aubrey Huff (9,10) and Juan Uribe (10) each homered to back the right-hander.  Guillermo Mota had another shaky outing but newcomer Santiago Casilla pitched the last 1 2/3 innings for his second save.  Vin Mazzaro (2-1) picked up his first loss of the season for the A’s.  Kevin Kouzmanoff had hits in each game to extend his career best hitting streak to 14 games.   

Wow.  What a difference a few games makes.  The orange and black played awesome this weekend.   The pitching was on and dominating.  We like to see that.  Cain is in a groove.  Here’s hoping he continues what he’s doing.  Ditto Brian Wilson.  Not sure what to make of Guillermo Mota’s latest struggles.  Perhaps his early success was not representative of what we were getting.  Where’s Sergio Romo in the eighth?  Jeremy Affeldt was okay, but it’s pretty obvious that the team doesn’t have total faith in him, as yet.  But, the big story is undoubtably that Lincecum’s back.  Only one walk through eight is nice.  This is more expected than what we’ve been seeing lately.   Nice to see Panda slamming the ball again.  Ditto Huff.  He’s truly been a nice surprise, as has Pat Burrell.  Aaron Rowand’s starts seem to be dwindling.  I think that’s only a good thing for the offense.   Perhaps a DFA in the future?  2 1/2 years is a lot of patience to save face for a bad signing.  It only a few weeks (games?) to tell Travis Ishikawa, Nate Schierholtz, and John Bowker that they weren’t up to par.  I wonder what is taking them so long for Rowand.  Hmmmm.

The Giants will next play host to the team with the worst record in the majors, the Baltimore Orioles, on Monday night.  Here’s hoping that they don’t let up the intensity.  The Oakland Athletics will travel to Chicago to play the Cubs on Tuesday evening.  On a roster note, Todd Wellemeyer went on the 15-day disable list after his last start.  His roster and rotation spot will be filled by second year player Joseph Martinez, who will make his first major league appearance of the season on Tuesday evening.   He’s been pitching alright in AAA Fresno.  Here’s hoping his return to the majors will pay dividends.

The Giant bats came alive in a noteworthy four game set against the Cincinnati Reds.  Unfortunately, the pitching didn’t follow suit to a T and the teams ended up splitting the series. 

In the opener, the bullpen lifted up starter Barry Zito, pitching 3 1/3 shutout innings as the Giants won, 6-5.  Zito couldn’t hold an early 4-1 lead, falling behind 5-4 in the sixth after Miguel Cairo hit a pinch-hit two-run single.  Juan Uribe gave San Francisco the lead in the seventh, hitting his second two run single of the day and setting the final tally.  Sergio Romo (2-3) pitched 2/3 perfect innings for the win.  Brian Wilson tossed a perfect ninth for his 15th save.  Danny Herrera (0-3) picked up the loss for the Reds.

The second game can be summed up in  two words:  Matt Cain.  The right hander (5-4) tossed his second complete game shutout in three starts as the Giants prevailed, 3-0.   In the victory, Cain scattered seven hits and struck out five.  Juan Uribe homered (9) off Sam Lecure (1-2) for the only necessary offense on the day.  The Giants added two runs in the top of the eighth on run scoring singles by Bengie Molina and Cain (more on Molina later).  Brandon Phillips had three hits in a losing effort for the Reds.

In the third game, Aaron Harang (5-5) overcame the first career homerun by Buster Posey (1) in the second inning and pitched seven strong innings, striking out three, as the Reds won 6-3.   Cincinnati plated runs in five separate innings and Orlando Cabrera had four hits, scoring three runs.  Jonathan Sanchez (4-5) was uncharacteristically hittable, lasting only five innings and picking up the loss. 

In the closer, the Giants bats staked Todd Wellemeyer to an early 4-0 lead behind homeruns by Aaron Rowand (6) and Aubrey Huff (8) before losing, 7-6.   However, following the starter leaving due to a hamstring injury from running out a third inning grounder, the bullpen, behind Denny Bautista, coughed up the lead almost immediately.  The Giants rallied, leading by two entering the eighth.  However, again the Reds struck, scoring three runs off Guillermo Mota (0-2) in the bottom of the eighth on a two run triple by Brandon Phillips and run scoring single by Joey Votto to set the final score.  Francisco Cordero pitched the ninth for his 17th save.  Arthur Rhodes (2-1) picked up the win. 

Okay, a road split is always nice.  However, I’d have rather enjoyed a 3-1 series edge.  But, such is life.  Also, great job by Buster Posey.  The first homerun is always the toughest.  Let’s see some more.  Bengie Molina had an RBI single and a few hits.  However, I’d like him to be playing somewhere else.  No reason to keep him on the team when he can’t hit, run, or play defense.  Ditto Rowand.  I know he homered today.  However, one hit does not make a year (or three) of relative ineptitude productive.   I’d like to see Burrell, Schierholtz, and Torres in the outfield with Huff at first and Posey behind the plate.  Also, it appears that Wellemeyer might be headed to the DL.  What better time to bring up Madison Bumgarner?  He’s smoking AAA right now.  Take note of Posey.  We can have that same thing in the starting rotation.  Think about it.  Also, when Wellemeyer is, umm…well, he can be a long reliever, taking Bautista’s spot in the bullpen.  Just some thoughts. 

Both teams will next play on Friday evening with the Giants hosting Oakland and the Reds hosting the Kansas City Royals.

Matt Cain dominated over eight innings and Aaron Rowand drove in two with an RBI double as the Giants managed to take the final game of their three game home set with the Colorado Rockies, 4-1.

Cain (4-4) surrendered a mere four hits and three walks while striking out five and dropped his ERA to 2.36 on the season.  His only blemish on the evening was a solo homerun by Troy Tulowitzki (7) in the fourth, giving the Rockies an early 1-0 lead.  The Giants charged back behind three two-out hits in the fifth, capped off by Aaron Rowand’s bullet to center off Jeff Francis (1-2), scoring Aubrey Huff and Buster Posey and giving Cain a lead that he would not relinquish.  The Giants extended the advantage in the sixth behind an RBI double by Pablo Sandoval, followed by a run scoring single by Bengie Molina.   Brian Wilson made short work of Colorado in the ninth, retiring three straight on eight pitches, for his 13th save.

In the opener, the much hyped (including by yours truly) pitcher’s duel ended up being rather one-sided as Ubaldo Jiminez (10-1) went the distance, striking out nine, as the Rockies beat the Giants, 4-0.  Clint Barmes drove in two to back the Colorado ace.  Tim Lincecum (5-2) had his fourth straight rough outing, surrendering four runs and walking five through 5 2/3 innings while only striking out three.  Pablo Sandoval accounted for almost all of the San Francisco offense, collecting three hits in a losing effort. 

In the middle game, both teams matched impressive pitching through ten innings, deadlocked at one, entering the eleventh.  In this inning, Clint Barmes broke the tie, stroking a two-out double off Santiago Casilla (1-1), driving in his second run of the game as the Rockies won, 2-1 in eleven innings.  Rafael Betancourt (1-1) pitched the tenth for the victory.  Manuel Corpas surrendered an infield single to Freddy Sanchez before inducing Pablo Sandoval to ground into a game-ending double play, earning him his fifth save of the season.  

Well, it could have been worse.  The Giants lost two of three, but the scores were close.  Middle game could have gone either way.   Cain was great in the third game.  Only concern I have is Tim Lincecum.  Something’s wrong with the Freak.  I think it’s mechanical.  On Monday, he was throwing almost exclusively breaking balls.  While they are superior pitches, he needs his fastball in the mix to be effective.  There’s only two people who can fix his mechanical issues.  Fortunately, neither of them is on the Giants coaching staff.  Hopefully Lincecum will dissect his motion and have it fixed before his next start. 

The Giants get an off day on Thursday and will next travel to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates.   On Friday, the Rockies will travel to Arizona to face the Diamondbacks.

The San Francisco Giants bats, aided immensely by newly recalled Buster Posey, woke to sweep the Arizona Diamondbacks in San Francisco over the weekend.

In the opener, Matt Cain (3-4) went the distance, tossing a one hitter, and Pablo Sandoval hit his first homerun (4) in over a month and drove in three as the Giants won 5-0.   Cain struck out nine and walked none in his first complete game and shutout of 2010.   He gave up only a two-out double to Mark Reynolds in the second inning, cruising the rest of the way for his second career one-hitter and first shutout since 2008.   Edwin Jackson (3-6) picked up the loss for the Diamondbacks. 

In the middle game, the Giants annihilated Arizona from all sides, trouncing the snakes, 12-1.  Buster Posey made his 2010 debut, going 3-4 with three RBI and injecting a boost into the Giants offense.  Juan Uribe blasted his seventh homerun of the year to back Jonathan Sanchez (3-4).  Sanchez, victim of poor run support all season, struck out seven in five, but left early with an elevated pitch count.   The bullpen rallied around and shutout Arizona for four innings to close the effort.   Eli Whiteside homered (3) and drove in two as losing pitcher Billy Buckner (0-3) was beaten from pillar to post and watched his ERA climb over 11.00 as the Giants collected 16 hits on the day.  Rusty Ryal (5) account for all the Arizona runs with a solo blast in the top of the third inning. 

In the closer, the Giants took 10 innings but rallied for a 6-5 victory to complete the sweep.  Andres Torres culminated a four-hit day by driving in the game-winning run in the bottom of the tenth, singling in Juan Uribe with two out against loser Carlos Rosa (0-1).  The Giants rallied off closer Chad Qualls in the ninth, behind a pinch double by Travis Ishikawa, a single by Torres, an RBI single by Fred Sanchez, and an RBI groundout by Sandoval to tie the score.  Brian Wilson (1-0) pitched a perfect tenth for the victory.  Buster Posey went 3-5, collecting two doubles and another RBI, and Aubrey Huff homered (6) to pace the Giants offense. 

Excellent series.   Two words sum this one up.  Buster Posey!!!  The kid is up and has arrived in a big way.  This injection into their offense is exactly what they needed.  Yes, one can make the argument that it’s just the Diamondbacks and that they’ve lost seven in a row.  However, his doubles were off Ian Kennedy, who shut the Giants down in his last outing against them.  That’s saying something.  Also, it looks like Pablo Sandoval is coming out of his slump.  Way to go Panda.  Let’s keep that up.  It’d be nice now if Nate Schierholtz would follow suit.  Way to go Matt Cain.  Awesome start.  Ditto Jonathan Sanchez.  Todd Wellemeyer?  You did well, but I want to see this on the road before I heap praise.  I still think that Madison Bumgarner would be a better option.  Travis Ishikawa hits two doubles in two days.  Perhaps more reps?  Probably not.  Sorry kid.  I’m on your side here.  Blame the management.  Too much of a class act to do so.  Give it some time.  On a side note, the Giants signed Pat Burrell to a minor league contract.  Am I excited?  No.  Do I want to see him playing for the parent club?  No.  Will he come up eventually?  Probably.  I guess that they don’t ask me for advice on such matters.  Oh, and be sure to check out Monday’s game against the Rockies.  Timmy ‘The Freak’ Lincecum will be hurling laser beams against Ubaldo Jiminez, he of the 9-1 record and .88 ERA.   Should be worth the price of admission, take about 1 1/2 hours, and end up 1-0.  Can’t say who’ll win.  Be sure to watch to find out.   Go Timmy!!!  Tear ‘em to shreds!!! 

The Giants will next play host to the Colorado Rockies on Monday afternoon.  The Diamondbacks will travel to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers on Monday evening.

The San Francisco Giants rallied from one sweep with one of their own, culminating with a 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros, behind Barry Zito’s 6th victory of the season.

Zito (6-1) tossed seven innings, scattering six hits and one run and besting Brett Myers (2-3), who tossed a complete game in a losing effort.  Aaron Rowand (5) and Andres Torres (1) hit solo and two run homeruns, respectively, in support of Zito’s outing.  Brian Wilson worked around a pair of two out hits and striking out Kazuo Matsui with runners on the corners for his ninth save.

In the opener, Todd Wellemeyer (2-3) pitched into the eighth and the Giant bats erupted against Felipe Paulino (0-6) as San Francisco ended a three game losing streak with an 8-2 victory.  Andres Torres doubled twice and tripled and Nate Schierholtz and Pablo Sandoval each had two hits.   Hunter Pence (6) homered for the Astros. 

The middle game of the series was a pitchers duel as Tim Lincecum (5-0) finally picked up his elusive fifth victory of the year, beating Roy Oswalt (2-5) and the Astros, 2-1.  Lincecum pitched eight innings, striking out five and surrendering only one run.  Juan Uribe supplied all the offense, hitting a two run homerun (4) to give the Giants the lead for good in the fourth inning.  Brian Wilson supplied drama in the ninth as the Astros loaded the bases and Kazuo Matsui coaxed a 15 pitch at bat off the closer before flying out to left field, giving the Giants the victory and Wilson his eighth save of the season.

First things first, great series.  A victory is always nice.  A sweep is always better.  Couple this with the Dodgers sweep of the Padres and it’s a win-win all round.   Pablo isn’t fully back, but it appears as if he’s doing better.  That’s great news.   Now that we’re feeling better, let me point out how much that earlier Padres sweep hurts the team.  If they win one game in that series, they are now in first place.  Also, the Dodgers aren’t breathing down their necks as much if that’s the case.  The race is tightened due to the team’s inability to take one from the front runners at home.  This series was a gift as the Astros are pretty horrible.  They need to start playing up to this level against ALL in-division competition.   They better get started immediately as they send the bottom of the rotation against the Padres on the road starting tomorrow.   Get on this one!!  Go Giants!!!!!

The Giants next travel to San Diego to play the Padres tomorrow evening.  The Astros go to Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers tomorrow night.

The Giant bullpen lost another lead handed to them by Tim Lincecum, but a late homerun by Aaron Rowand, coupled with ace closing, allowed San Francisco to salvage the final game in New York, against the Mets, by a score of 6-5.

Lincecum tossed six innings, scattering seven hits and two runs while striking out eight Mets.   The Giants staked the ace to a 4-0 lead following a wild outing by Oliver Perez, who walked seven batters in 3 1/3 innings, putting together two run second and fourth innings.   The Mets rallied in the sixth, cutting the Giant lead in half with a run scoring single by Jason Bay and a sacrifice fly by David Wright.  Dan Runzler relieved in the seventh and the Mets erupted for three runs off two hits and three walks from the rookie and Sergio Romo (1-3).  However, Aaron Rowand returned the lead to the Giants with a two run blast (4) off Jenrry Mejia (0-2) in the top of the eighth inning.  Brian Wilson came on with one out in the bottom of the inning and proceeded to strike out five of the next six hitters, picking up his seventh save of the season. 

In the opener, the Mets used the long ball to get to Jonathan Sanchez early, with Ike Davis (2,3) and Rod Barajas (8,9) each homering twice, Barajas’s second being a walkoff, as New York beat the Giants 6-4.  The Mets took a 4-3 lead into the ninth where John Bowker tied the game by stroking a pinch homerun (2) off closer Francisco Rodriguez (2-0).  In the bottom of the inning, Davis coaxed a one out walk off Sergio Romo (0-3) before Barajas followed with his second homerun of the game to seal the victory for the home team.

In the second game, Henry Blanco hit a solo shot (1) in the bottom of the eleventh inning off reliever Guillermo Mota (0-1), breaking a 4 all tie and giving the Mets a 5-4 win.   Hisanori Takahashi (3-1) pitched a perfect top of the eleventh for the victory. 

Okay.  A lost series, but a winning road trip.  All in all, it’s alright.  Two games lost in the final at bat.  That hurts.  I am impressed that the team is fighting every inning.  Seems like they are taking these games personal.  Todd Wellemeyer was blasted again.  With the off day, let’s see if they can skip him for a turn.  Hopefully so.  A big series coming up tomorrow night.  The rest should do the bullpen well.   Hopefully also for a badly slumping Pablo Sandoval.  However, I have a feeling he is due for a tear.  Mark me down for this one.  What better time than against the NL West leading San Diego Padres. 

The Giants will next host the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night.  The Mets will host the Nationals Monday evening.