The Giants' streak of solid starting pitching continued Friday night. Tim Lincecum tossed eight innings of one-run, five-hit ball, and the rotation over six starts has yielded three earned runs in 42 2/3 innings.
That's an ERA of 0.63. "Everyone wants to keep the streak alive, and everyone's feeding off it," Lincecum said.
Lincecum, the reigning Cy Young Award winner, finally got his first win of 2009, though he was coming off eight scoreless innings versus the Diamondbacks in his previous start Saturday. The Giants lost that one 2-0.
Not only did Lincecum get his first win, the Giants got their first road win. They were 0-6 in San Diego and L.A. in their first trip.
Lincecum likes facing the Diamondbacks, against whom he's 4-1 with a 1.79 ERA in eight starts. Four of his last outings against Arizona, he has lasted eight innings.
In the past week, he has faced the Diamondbacks twice, giving up one run in 16 innings.
GIANTS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 1: Edgar Renteria and Bengie Molina homered, and Molina also hit a two-run double. It was more than enough support for Tim Lincecum, who gave up one run in eight innings and struck out 12, one shy of his career high. Jeremy Affeldt finished up in the ninth, and the Giants have won four in a row.
