28 Mar 14
Tim Lincecum took a line drive off the inside of his left knee and wobbled off the field. He had pitched well: over four innings, he gave up 3 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4. His one earned run was a homer to John Jaso who’s coming back from a concussion that put him out of action the last two months of last season. Soon after leaving the game, Lincecum and Giants’ fans received his good news: the injury is a contusion, and the X-rays were negative. Lincecum is scheduled to start the Giants’ fourth game of the season, on Thursday in Arizona. Lincecum said, “We’ll see how it feels tomorrow. It’s that second day when it kind of hurts the most. Right now it feels pretty good.”
The Giants tasted again their offensive woes of last season that made no appearance in spring training thus far. Jesse Chavez no-hit the Giants for 5 1/3 innings before Angel Pagan hit a double to the opposite field, their first of two hits before a three-hit rally in the ninth that produced their first of the series off Joaquin Arias’ single.
The Giants’ lineup included Belt in the second hole, and Bochy said that Belt and Pence could well platoon in that position, Pence facing the lefties and Belt the righties.
The Giants hope to win the third game of the series, the consolation prize, Saturday when Ed Escobar climbs the hill for the Giants, facing righty Dan Straily across the bay at the Coliseum.
hs3rd 