Lincecum strikes out 9 in 5 no-hit innings and San Francisco Giants beat Oakland A's 3-0
Friday, March 28, 2008
Tim Lincecum provided a bright spot in a rather dismal spring for the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.
Lincecum struck out nine in five no-hit innings and the Giants beat the cross-bay Oakland Athletics 3-0.
"The first inning I was big," Lincecum said. "My first inning was like seven or eight pitches and I got on a roll. And then I found my rhythm from there."
Lincecum, scheduled to pitch the Giants' third game of the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, was masterful in a steady drizzle, keeping Oakland off balance.
"The kid threw well," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It was a nice tune up for him. It was a big win for us. The way we played tonight was what we were looking for.
"We pitched well. We executed and we played crisp baseball. That's what it's going to take for us to win games."
Lincecum's performance was a needed lift for the Giants, who snapped a five-game losing streak that included a loss to Fresno, their Triple-A affiliate on Wednesday.
In his last three outings, Lincecum has struck out 20 batters.
And Lincecum had no hard feelings about being removed from a no-hitter.
"I wasn't really thinking about that," said Lincecum. "I got done what I wanted."
The game was the first for the A's since they returned from Japan, where they split their first two regular season games against the Red Sox.
"Lincecum threw the ball real well," A's manager Bob Geren said. "He had a very, very good fastball. Also, it wasn't very good conditions to hit, but still, he threw very well."
During the early innings of the game, a steady drizzle fell drenching the players and field.
"It was cool, it was damp. There's a guy out there throwing 96, touching 98, that could as easily have happened in July," Geren said.
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/giants/
Zito determined to build on strong finish
Ace's last nine starts in rough 2007 give Giants hope in '08
For much of the spring, Zito looked like a dubious choice as the Giants' No. 1 starter. He allowed seven runs or more in three of his first four Cactus League assignments, recording a 14.92 ERA. But his 5 2/3 shutout innings on March 21 against the White Sox muted the skeptics.
Zito has endured plenty of cynicism since becoming a Giant. The seven-year, $126 million contract he received before the 2007 season, which at the time made him the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history, immediately prompted observers to declare that he wasn't worth it. The 8-11 record and 5.13 ERA he built in his first 25 games didn't help.
But Zito recovered in his final nine starts, posting a 3-2 mark with a 3.10 ERA and a .200 opponents' batting average. Although Zito's 11-13 record and 4.53 ERA overall were career worsts, his strong finish generated plenty of hope among the Giants for this year.
"Last year, during the course of the season, he was a different pitcher," manager Bruce Bochy said. "What he should feel good about was how he finished the season. That's what he needs to build on to carry into this season. I don't look at the middle of the season when he had some rough starts, and he shouldn't either. That's behind him."
----
Zito gave the doubters fresh material this spring when he altered his pitching motion for the second year in a row. Last year, he tinkered with his stride in February before returning to the delivery that helped him amass a 102-63 record with Oakland from 2000-06. This time, Zito waited until his third Cactus League start before pulling his surprise. He no longer brought his hands over his head from the windup, explaining that this change synchronized his hands with his kicking leg more properly.
"I think my stuff has later movement," Zito said. "You always want your stuff to move as late as possible so the hitter can't gauge it and basically determine where the ball's going to be when he swings at it."
Zito has struggled in his previous Opening Day starts, losing all three of them while compiling a 9.49 ERA. This includes last year's opener against the Padres, who defeated the Giants, 7-0, as Zito surrendered three runs (two earned) on four hits in five innings.
This kind of history never entered Bochy's mind as he named Zito to pitch Game 1 after the first workout for pitchers and catchers.
"When Barry hits the mound, we expect to win and we expect him to give us a chance to win," Bochy said. "That's not ever going to change for us."
http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080325&content_id=2458622&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf
Friday, March 28, 2008
Tim Lincecum provided a bright spot in a rather dismal spring for the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.
Lincecum struck out nine in five no-hit innings and the Giants beat the cross-bay Oakland Athletics 3-0.
"The first inning I was big," Lincecum said. "My first inning was like seven or eight pitches and I got on a roll. And then I found my rhythm from there."
Lincecum, scheduled to pitch the Giants' third game of the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, was masterful in a steady drizzle, keeping Oakland off balance.
"The kid threw well," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It was a nice tune up for him. It was a big win for us. The way we played tonight was what we were looking for.
"We pitched well. We executed and we played crisp baseball. That's what it's going to take for us to win games."
Lincecum's performance was a needed lift for the Giants, who snapped a five-game losing streak that included a loss to Fresno, their Triple-A affiliate on Wednesday.
In his last three outings, Lincecum has struck out 20 batters.
And Lincecum had no hard feelings about being removed from a no-hitter.
"I wasn't really thinking about that," said Lincecum. "I got done what I wanted."
The game was the first for the A's since they returned from Japan, where they split their first two regular season games against the Red Sox.
"Lincecum threw the ball real well," A's manager Bob Geren said. "He had a very, very good fastball. Also, it wasn't very good conditions to hit, but still, he threw very well."
During the early innings of the game, a steady drizzle fell drenching the players and field.
"It was cool, it was damp. There's a guy out there throwing 96, touching 98, that could as easily have happened in July," Geren said.
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/giants/
Zito determined to build on strong finish
Ace's last nine starts in rough 2007 give Giants hope in '08
For much of the spring, Zito looked like a dubious choice as the Giants' No. 1 starter. He allowed seven runs or more in three of his first four Cactus League assignments, recording a 14.92 ERA. But his 5 2/3 shutout innings on March 21 against the White Sox muted the skeptics.
Zito has endured plenty of cynicism since becoming a Giant. The seven-year, $126 million contract he received before the 2007 season, which at the time made him the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history, immediately prompted observers to declare that he wasn't worth it. The 8-11 record and 5.13 ERA he built in his first 25 games didn't help.
But Zito recovered in his final nine starts, posting a 3-2 mark with a 3.10 ERA and a .200 opponents' batting average. Although Zito's 11-13 record and 4.53 ERA overall were career worsts, his strong finish generated plenty of hope among the Giants for this year.
"Last year, during the course of the season, he was a different pitcher," manager Bruce Bochy said. "What he should feel good about was how he finished the season. That's what he needs to build on to carry into this season. I don't look at the middle of the season when he had some rough starts, and he shouldn't either. That's behind him."
----
Zito gave the doubters fresh material this spring when he altered his pitching motion for the second year in a row. Last year, he tinkered with his stride in February before returning to the delivery that helped him amass a 102-63 record with Oakland from 2000-06. This time, Zito waited until his third Cactus League start before pulling his surprise. He no longer brought his hands over his head from the windup, explaining that this change synchronized his hands with his kicking leg more properly.
"I think my stuff has later movement," Zito said. "You always want your stuff to move as late as possible so the hitter can't gauge it and basically determine where the ball's going to be when he swings at it."
Zito has struggled in his previous Opening Day starts, losing all three of them while compiling a 9.49 ERA. This includes last year's opener against the Padres, who defeated the Giants, 7-0, as Zito surrendered three runs (two earned) on four hits in five innings.
This kind of history never entered Bochy's mind as he named Zito to pitch Game 1 after the first workout for pitchers and catchers.
"When Barry hits the mound, we expect to win and we expect him to give us a chance to win," Bochy said. "That's not ever going to change for us."
http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080325&content_id=2458622&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf
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