San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) – The Giants scored twice in the first inning and it proved to be enough for Tim Lincecum and the bullpen, as San Francisco eked by the New York Mets, 3-1, in the middle installment of a three-game series.
Lincecum (7-7) lasted six innings and gave up one run on four hits and four walks to win for just the second time in eight starts. Santiago Casilla, Javier Lopez and Sergio Romo combined to keep New York silent over the final three frames.
Pablo Sandoval extended his hitting streak to 20 games, going 2-for-4 with an RBI for San Francisco, which has won three of its last four.
Chris Capuano (8-8) yielded a pair of runs on four hits and four walks in a six-inning start to take the loss.
Lincecum entered Saturday’s tilt with a 16-inning scoreless streak against the Mets, but consecutive two-out doubles by Carlos Beltran and Daniel Murphy staked the visitors to a 1-0 advantage in the first inning.
The lead didn’t last a half-inning, as the Giants loaded the bases in the bottom half and Nate Schierholtz beat out an infield single to knock in Miguel Tejada. Aubrey Huff grounded into a fielder’s choice to plate Sandoval with the go-ahead run.
“When you dig yourself a hole in the first inning, you can get frustated and it can turn into a snowball effect. But they scored those two [runs] and let me relax,” Lincecum said.
Sandoval drove in an insurance run in the seventh when he beat out a potential inning-ending double-play ball.
Casilla hurled a 1-2-3 seventh behind Lincecum, and Lopez recorded the next five outs before walking Ruben Tejada with two outs in the ninth.
Scott Hairston, who hit a go-ahead, pinch-hit homer in Friday’s win, again came off the bench, but Romo struck him out to record his first save since 2009.