Tim Lincecum pitches, hits Giants past the Dodgers
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It seemed oh so predictable.
Dodgers Manager Joe Torre filled out a lineup card that included Jamey Carroll at shortstop, Garret Anderson in left field, Ronnie Belliard at third base, A.J. Ellis behind the plate and Charlie Haeger on the mound.
San Francisco had Tim Lincecum on the mound and Tim Lincecum at the plate, and the rest was just details during the Giants’ 9-0 nationally televised flogging of the Dodgers on Saturday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.
Lincecum stifled a mix of Dodgers regulars and reserves over six scoreless innings and was the Giants’ biggest offensive weapon. He had three hits and drove in three runs, including a two-run single as part of a four-run outburst in the third inning off Haeger.
Torre shrugged off what appeared to be a white-flag lineup, saying he had “to do what is best for us over the long haul” by resting half of his regulars. It certainly didn’t seem to give the Dodgers much of a chance against a two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner.
Lincecum (3-0) and three relievers held the Dodgers scoreless for the first time this season. The Dodgers had a baserunner reach third base only twice.
Lincecum collected nearly as many hits as Carroll, Anderson, Belliard and Ellis, who combined to go four for 16. The pitcher drove in the Giants’ first run with a perfectly placed second-inning bunt that split the mound and the first-base line, allowing the slow-moving Bengie Molina to score from third base.
Errors by Ellis and Carroll had helped the Giants take a 2-0 lead in the third when Lincecum stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. Lincecum lined a single to right-center field, doubling his team’s advantage.
Lincecum also singled to lead off the fifth, and when reliever Ramon Ortiz finally struck him out in the seventh, Dodgers fans responded with sarcastic applause.
Haeger (0-1) wasn’t nearly as effective as his counterpart, failing to extend the streak of Dodgers starters pitching at least seven innings in back-to-back games. The knuckleballer gave up seven hits and seven runs -- five earned -- in three-plus innings, forcing Torre to squeeze six innings out of an already overburdened bullpen.
The Dodgers amassed only four hits and two walks off Lincecum, though the right-hander wasn’t exactly facing the lineup that had helped the Dodgers lead the major leagues with a .320 batting average entering Saturday’s game.
Torre said he held Rafael Furcal and catcher Russell Martin out of the lineup because they had been playing a lot. Left fielder Manny Ramirez did not play because of a tight right calf, and third baseman Casey Blake struck out in a cameo appearance as a pinch-hitter.
Torre had hoped his hitters could drive up Lincecum’s pitch count, and on that front they succeeded. Lincecum had to leave after needing 105 pitches to get through the sixth inning.
--Ben Bolch