Mar 28, 2008 12:00 am US/Pacific
Lincecum Strikes Out 9 In 5 No-Hit Innings
Tim Lincecum provided a bright spot in a rather dismal spring for the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.
Lincecum struck out nine in five no-hit innings and the Giants beat the cross-bay Oakland Athletics 3-0.
"The first inning I was big," Lincecum said. "My first inning was like seven or eight pitches and I got on a roll. And then I found my rhythm from there."
Lincecum, scheduled to pitch the Giants' third game of the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, was masterful in a steady drizzle, keeping Oakland off balance.
"The kid threw well," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It was a nice tune up for him. It was a big win for us. The way we played tonight was what we were looking for.
"We pitched well. We executed and we played crisp baseball. That's what it's going to take for us to win games."
Lincecum's performance was a needed lift for the Giants, who snapped a five-game losing streak that included a loss to Fresno, their Triple-A affiliate on Wednesday.
In his last three outings, Lincecum has struck out 20 batters.
And Lincecum had no hard feelings about being removed from a no-hitter.
"I wasn't really thinking about that," said Lincecum. "I got done what I wanted."
The game was the first for the A's since they returned from Japan, where they split their first two regular season games against the Red Sox.
"Lincecum threw the ball real well," A's manager Bob Geren said. "He had a very, very good fastball. Also, it wasn't very good conditions to hit, but still, he threw very well."
During the early innings of the game, a steady drizzle fell drenching the players and field.
"It was cool, it was damp. There's a guy out there throwing 96, touching 98, that could as easily have happened in July," Geren said.
San Francisco scored their two runs in the fifth when Daniel Ortmeier scored from second after Brian Bocock looped a single to center. The ball skipped away from A's center fielder Carlos Gonzalez on the wet grass.
The Giants scored their second run of the inning when A's starter Greg Smith threw a wild pitch, allowing Bocock to score.
Smith went five innings and gave up two runs -- one earned -- and five hits while striking out three and walking none.
The Giants added their third run in the seventh when Jose Castillo singled home Ortmeier.
