Lincecum Goes 8 Innings as Giants Blank Phillies
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Two sacrifice fly RBIs by shortstop Juan Uribe were all that starter Tim Lincecum needed on Saturday as the young Giant ace outdueled Phillies starter Joe Blanton in a classic. Lincecum went 8 Innings as the Giants blanked the Phillies by a 2-0 score.
Despite the loss, the Phillies remained 6 games ahead of 2nd place Florida in the NL East division race as the Marlins lost. The 3rd place Atlanta Braves won and moved to within 6 1/2 games of the lead. The Mets, with their loss, remained 10 games behind in 4th place.
AP recapped the game for Yahoo sports:
Lincecum struck out eight and leads the majors with 191. On Monday, he struck out 15 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Brian Wilson pitched the ninth for his 27th save in 31 opportunities and gave the Giants a major league-leading 14th shutout.
The Giants improved to 36-16 (.692) at home which is the best home record in the majors.
Joe Blanton suffered his first defeat in his last five outings as the N.L. East leading Phillies lost for only the 18th time on the road this season.
Travis Ishikwara and Fred Lewis each had two hits for San Francisco.
In the seventh after Ishikwara reached on his second single of the night, Aaron Rowand was hit by a pitch and Ishikwara moved to third on a fly out. Uribe lofted his second sacrifice fly of the game to give the Giants took 2-0 lead.
Blanton (7-5) went seven innings giving up seven hits while striking out five. He had only allowed one hit until the fifth when Rowand doubled to deep center. He took third on Fred Lewis’ infield single which bounced off Blanton’s glove and scored on Uribe’s shallow sacrifice fly.
Through the first five innings, Lincecum wasn’t as sharp giving up seven hits but was able to work out of every jam he was in. In the third, fourth and fifth innings with men on base, the Giants’ ace was able to induce either groundouts or get a strikeout to get out of trouble.
In the top of the fifth, Lincecum loaded the bases and got Raul Ibanez to ground out to second base to end the inning and the threat.
The .741 winning percentage for the Phillies in July when they went 20-7 was their best winning percentage for the month since 1890 when they went 21-6 and had a .778 winning percentage.
Jayson Werth started in centerfield on Saturday, as regular centerfielder Shane Victorino continued to sit hobbled by his bruised knee. Matt Stairs took Werth’s customary rightfield spot. The “Flyin’ Hawaiian” was sent to pinch hit for catcher Paul Bako against closer Brian Wilson and grounded out with 2 out in the ninth inning. Victorino grounded out to 2nd base to end the game.
Enough can’t be said of Blanton’s quality outing as he continues to impress with his consistency. Through 36 2/3 innings, he’s given up but 6 runs. Blanton deserved a better fate than losing in this one having gone seven innings. Phils collected 7 hits off of Lincecum but failed to provide Blanton with offensive support. His line was 103 pitches, 2 runs on 7 hits while striking out 5. He walked none. Reliever Chan Ho Park pitched a scoreless eighth giving up a hit and walking 1.
For the scores of all of Saturday’s games, click here.
The Phils’ hopes to salvage a series split in Sunday’s final rest in the hands of the other half of their starting rotation 1-2 punch Cole Hamels in a game which stacks up as a battle of lefthanders. Hamels faces Barry Zito, who has yet to live up to the potential which the Giants saw when they acquired him from Oakland in 2007.
Following the series final against the Giants, the Phils have Monday off before opening a 6 game homestand with a 3 game series against the Colorado Rockies beginning on Tuesday.
For all of Sunday’s games, click here.
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