The fighting Giants powered their way to a comeback 7-5 win Saturday afternoon against the Rockies.
D.J. LeMahieu crushed a line drive that hit Tim Lincecum right in the money maker, his pitching arm.
Lincecum paced the infield for a while before Dave Groeschner came trotting out to check up on the Freak and escorted him quickly back to the dugout. He was just two outs into the second inning.
Not a comforting sight at all given the nonstop injuries the Giants are facing — he was later diagnosed with a right forearm contusion — but Timmy seemed bound to leave the game anyway. He struggled to find the strike zone and dished hittable breaking balls that gave the Rockies an early inning three-run lead. Long man Yusmeiro Petit gave up an extra two in 4-1/3 innings. Bruce Bochy voiced his concern:
“The last couple of starts, he hasn’t been on his game. He’s going to give it all he has, but his stuff is down. I’m getting a little concerned, I’ll be honest.”
Lincecum, who’s given up eight runs on 11 hits in just three innings over his past two starts, is aware of his slide:
“I was leaving stuff up in the zone … wasn’t putting my fastball anywhere near where it needed to be.”
X-Rays came back negative for Timmy, but the bruise could give him some much-needed time off. Said Susac of Timmy’s performance:
“I don’t want to speak for him, but his fastball command hasn’t been there for him.”
It was no matter. The fightin’ Giants powered their way to a comeback 7-5 win thanks mostly to ‘kids’ Matt Duffy and Andrew Susac — with a little help from their anchor Buster Posey.
Duffy posed an odd challenge for Rockies’ starter Chris Rusin and his defense. He went 3-for-4 with two RBI, but reached base on all four at-bats. His hustle to first on a fielder’s choice started the Giants’ three-run, game-tying rally in the third that scored Angel Pagan from third and Posey followed up with a two-run RBI double.
Duffy answered the Rockies’ 5-3 lead with a flash of power. He cracked a change-up to left field, cutting the Giants’ deficit to one run. Duffy now has seven home runs on the season, he returned to the dugout and immediately pointed a challenging finger at Panik, who has six. The Great Rookie Home Run Race, or what they call the tortoise race, intensifies. Duffy said of the come back:
“Coming from behind on them, it definitely felt good, we’re swinging the bats better.”
And then in the seventh, a breakthrough. Duffy’s long line drive down the right field line fell fair this time, setting himself and Joe Panik in scoring position. Reliever Rafael Betancourt got to call to walk Posey, handing Susac a loaded-base gift. Little did they know.
Susac pulled a sharp line drive just fair down the third base line clearing the bases and putting the Giants up 7-5. The rookie stood alone on the bases, pumping his fist and screaming at an elated home dugout. Said Susac:
“Every win at this point is a big one…A bases clearing double is a big one for me. I’m keeping with the same approach and not trying to do too much.”
The young guys are showing off. Bochy is still aboard the Susac appreciation train:
“It’s a nice luxury. Andrew’s play has picked up. The more Andrew’s playing, the more comfortable he’s getting. Certainly came through with the hit today.”
Angel Pagan was tentatively etched into the lineup, and looked uninhibited though he was wearing a brace on his right knee, and had x-rays on his left knee. … Belt wasn’t in the lineup today, giving Maxwell the nod in outfield. Makes sense, since Belt is batting .133 against lefties this season and isn’t a must-have on defense. … The Giants had 18 runs over all previous home stands in June, this one they’ve got 34 with one game to go.
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Better to have this discussion after a win than a loss. McGehee does not belong on an MLB roster. He reminds me of Badluck Schleprock from the Flintstones –the schlub who always had a black cloud over his head and brought disaster wherever he went. How many rallies does he need to kill by grounding into double plays before the Giants finally face reality with this guy? On that subject, the Justin Maxwell feel good story is turning into a feel bad story. He’s a .200 to .225 hitter. That’s who he is, his hot start notwithstanding. No team with championship aspirations can afford that level of production from a semi-regular outfielder –especially when our pitching has been nothing special.