Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants: Tim Lincecum Blinks and Loses

Tim Lincecum was spectacular at AT&T Park on Wednesday; Clayton Kershaw was one pitch better.  On a sun-splashed day at the ballpark, yet another sold-out crowd was treated to a true throwback pitcher’s duel.  Unfortunately for the fans, the Bums came out on top in the end.

There was a feeling of excitement coupled with a bit of arrogance in the air around 3rd and King St. prior to the game.  Sometimes when your team is going pretty well, fans start to expect to win every game, having been lulled into a false sense of security.  Of course when your starting pitcher that day is a two-time Cy Young Award winner, one can afford to be a little bit confident.

The Giants offense had come alive a little bit in the previous few days, fueling optimism in some. Most knew, however, that it was an aberration and a game against a pitcher of Kershaw's caliber would quickly expose the Giants' offensive ineptitude for what it is: real.

Lincecum was on his A-game; Kershaw, it just so happened, was on his A+ game.  Both young pitchers dominated the hitters of the opposing team until Lincecum let a fastball that was intended to be on the outside corner to Dioner Navarro bleed back over the middle of the plate.  Navarro didn’t miss it, crushing it into McCovey Cove.  No opponent had hit a ball into The Cove since Rick Ankiel in the 2010 NLDS.

The Giants had some opportunities but they were really created by Navarro's inability to throw to second base on a steal attempt. Twice he threw the ball into center field and twice the Giant he was trying to catch stealing scampered to third base.  Kershaw stranded them both and then went on cruise control. 

The Pablo Sandoval-less Giants were exposed as the punchless team that they are, especially against a dominant lefty like Kershaw and the Giants were shut out for the seventh time in 2011.

Game Notes

Lincecum was followed by Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla who threw two innings of shutout-ball total, continuing the dominant ways of the Giants bullpen.

Jeff Keppinger arrived mid-game and made his Giants debut, pinch-hitting for Brandon Crawford in the seventh inning.  He received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd as he walked to the plate as if he were the second coming of Barry Bonds.  Keppinger lined out to LF to end the inning and finished off the game at second base where Giants fans should get used to seeing him. 

After the game, Keppinger was interviewed regarding the standing ovation and claimed to have never received one before in his career.  Kudos to the Giants fans for making a new player feel welcome; hopefully their expectations don't necessarily match their enthusiasm for his arrival.

Pablo Sandoval was kept out of the starting lineup with a tight quad muscle, something he has been battling over the past couple of weeks.  It's not considered serious and he is expected to be in the starting lineup on Friday night against the Brewers. 

Sandoval got into the game in the ninth as a pinch-hitter.  He crushed a ball into the right-center field gap.  The Dodgers were crowding the gap, however, and he was retired on what is usually at least a double for him.