So this is what it looks like when the Giants play their best
ball.
It’s Pat Burrell leading a home run derby in a five-run first
inning. It’s sure-handed defensive play. Heck, it’s even Pablo
Sandoval drawing three walks.
But more than anything, it’s Tim Lincecum doing his Cy Young
thing on the mound.
By Andrew Baggarly – Contra Costa Times
So this is what it looks like when the Giants play their best ball.
It’s Pat Burrell leading a home run derby in a five-run first inning. It’s sure-handed defensive play. Heck, it’s even Pablo Sandoval drawing three walks.
But more than anything, it’s Tim Lincecum doing his Cy Young thing on the mound.
The Colorado Rockies might have streaked to 12 victories in their first 15 games, but they hadn’t played a team with a winning record. And the Giants boxed them like title-belt holders in a 8-1 victory at Coors Field.
Lincecum was at his best, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning for the second time in his career before Carlos Gonzalez broke it up with a one-out single through the right side. Lincecum also recorded his 28th 10-strikeout game, matching Christy Mathewson, star of the early 1900s, for the most in franchise history.
Not to be forgotten was Nate Schierholtz, who received just his second start of the season and hit a Bonds shot into the third deck. Cameras caught Aubrey Huff slack-jawed as he watched Schierholtz’s homer, estimated at 467 feet, land in the first row of the mile-high seats.
It was the 31st homer to reach the third deck in Coors Field history and the third by a Giant. Barry Bonds, of course, owned the other two colossal shots.
Schierholtz’s homer followed Burrell’s three-run shot. They came off a pitcher, Esmil Rogers, who hadn’t allowed a home run in his last 228 batters faced – the longest active streak among starting pitchers in the majors.
Lincecum was ultra-sharp with his fastball and actually gained velocity as he went along, hitting 95 mph into the seventh. The Giants’ maligned defense supported him from the outset, too, as second baseman Freddy Sanchez made a sliding stop on Gonzalez’s grounder. First baseman Huff also tagged a sliding Jonathan Herrera after fielding a slow roller in the first inning.
Lincecum didn’t allow a runner until Dexter Fowler walked in the fourth; Lincecum promptly erased him by inducing a double-play grounder from Herrera. Todd Helton walked in the fifth, and Ryan Spilborghs hit a grounder up the middle that deflected off Lincecum’s glove, but Sanchez reacted quickly and threw to first in time to prevent an infield single.
The no-hitter became serious when Lincecum carved through the Rockies in the sixth, striking out two and getting Fowler to tap back to the mound.
It marked the second time Lincecum had taken a no-hitter through six innings; the other time came July 9, 2009, when San Diego’s Tony Gwynn Jr. singled to lead off the seventh inning. If the date sounds familiar, that’s because Jonathan Sanchez pitched a no-hitter against the Padres the following day.
Lincecum looked primed to join Hideo Nomo as the only pitchers to throw a no-hitter at Coors Field. He was still throwing hard and his pitch count was below 80 entering the seventh.
He ended up getting one out closer than his last serious bid. He retired Herrera on a fly ball to right field in the seventh before Gonzalez grounded a clean single through the right side. Lincecum ended up losing his shutout when Todd Helton doubled into the right-field corner.
It was the 529th double of Helton’s career, passing Hall of Famer Frank Robinson for 31st on the all-time list.
Schierholtz kept right on hitting as he lined two singles and knocked in a run. As it happened, Monday night was the only game his younger brother, Vai, could attend. Vai Schierholtz plays baseball at Air Force Academy, where he expects to graduate at the top of his class.
The Giants served notice to the Rockies: They’re still the class of the N.L. West.
