--C Bengie Molina was hitless in 12 at-bats off RHP Jason Marquis before homering in his first two at-bats Thursday. He hit another deep fly that was caught in front off the center field wall. He was 3-for-5 with four RBIs and is hitting .310.
--RHP Matt Cain issued four walks in two innings but rebounded to earn his third win. He lasted six innings, allowing no runs and one hit, but his five total walks and 107 pitches prompted the hook. It was a much better performance than his previous start, also against Colorado, in which he gave up five runs and seven hits in a 5-1 loss. --LHP Randy Johnson still is waiting for back-to-back solid starts. Through six starts, it hasn't happened. He has pitched well at home (1.89 ERA in three starts) and poorly on the road (11.37 ERA in three starts). In his previous start in San Francisco, also against the Rockies, he tossed seven scoreless innings. Wednesday in Denver, he was charged with seven runs. Another telling stat: Johnson had nine strikeouts against Colorado in his previous start. Wednesday, he had zero strikeouts for just the fifth time in his career.
--Hall of Famer Willie Mays turned 78 Wednesday. The Say Hey Kid remains a regular in the Giants' clubhouse before games, hanging with another former great, Willie McCovey, and occasionally Orlando Cepeda.
--RHP Tim Lincecum is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his past four starts. In his first two starts, he gave up seven runs in 8 1/3 innings. So he has his groove back. Overall, he has 50 strikeouts to 12 walks in 38 1/3 innings. At Wrigley Field, he's 3-0 in three career starts, yielding four runs in 21 1/3 innings (1.69 ERA).
BY THE NUMBERS: 10-4 -- Giants' home record. Far better than their 2-7 mark on the road.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I like this team right now. We were 2-7. Now we're at .500. That's something to be proud of." -- Barry Zito, on the on-the-rebound Giants.
