Tim Lincecum passed Carl Hubbell to move into fourth on the All-Time Giants strikeout list. With seven shutout innings in a 4-0 win over the Dodgers, he ran his scoreless innings streak at home to 22 innings.
Ho-hum.
I’ve mentioned this already this season, but one of the best parts about Lincecum being good again (his ERA is 2.08 through a quarter of the season, so we can probably start celebrating what’s going on without screaming about sample sizes) is his dugout demeanor. His clubhouse comportment.
But none of that matters when he’s bouncing pitches and walking pitchers. Wait, he did that today. How did he go seven scoreless? It helped that he got the leadoff guy out in every inning but the fifth (the inning when he walked Brett Anderson).
Also, let’s face it, the Dodgers may be hitting like crazy at home, but this is not the same team without Yasiel Puig. That’s not taking anything away from Lincecum, who is pitching to contact better than he ever has. And this was the perfect environment for him at home, with a heavy mist raining down for most of the game.
He’s good now, and it’s fun. This pitching staff is fun, right? How about seven shutouts already this season, and SIX in May? It’s like the Giants shrugged off that awful stretch — which started in San Diego and included a sweep at the hands of the Rockies (at home, no less) — and realized that the Warriors were going to steal their shine.
Or, this is a good team, with one of the better lineups in the National League and a better pitching staff than anyone thought they had a right to enjoy after they lost two well-respected starters. There are some stars on this team. It’s amazing how we forget that after three titles.
Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford, the two best players on this team throughout the first 40 games (can you believe they’re on pace for 89 wins?), had three hits each.
Extra BASGs
— The Giants are 19-9 after that crazy losing streak when everything was going wrong and Bobby Evans was on the hot seat after two weeks on the job.
— Got to give respect to Casey McGehee, who came in and pinch-walked, advanced from second to third on a wild pitch, and scored to give the Giants a 2-0 lead in the seventh.
— Posey’s catch in the Dodgers dugout was great for a couple reasons. Great catch, obviously. But the Dodgers sitting there, all miserable in their hoodies, feeling the rain on their hands and asking “why me?” were hilarious. Scott Van Slyke wanted to punch Posey in the nose, but unfortunately for SVS, he couldn’t.
