SAN FRANCISCO – Ten years to the day the Giants christened AT&T Park, their spanking-new digs on the shores of McCovey Cove, with the first regular season game. Sunday, the team reunited 13 members from the 2000 National League West championship team for a day of reflection and commemoration.

After a four hour, nine minute rain delay washed away most of the festivities, the Giants turned their attention to avoiding a full-on replica of that April afternoon a decade ago that was spoiled by a 6-5 loss to the Dodgers.

Thanks to Tim Lincecum’s 10 strike-out performance, some timely two-out hitting, and the first home run of the year for Pablo Sandoval, the Giants didn’t allow history to repeat itself, picking up a satisfying 6-3 win over the Atlanta Braves.

Lincecum survived a first inning hiccup – a mammoth two-run shot off the bat of Braves catcher Brian McCann (2) that made it 2-0 Atlanta. It was also the first homer allowed by Lincecum at AT&T since the Rockies Seth Smith hit on Sept. 23, 2008. But the Giants’ ace settled down, retiring 20 of the next 24 hitters he faced, and nine by way of strikeout.

Lincecum (2-0) departed after 108 pitches and with a 3-2 lead in the seventh. In has last inning of work, he struck out the side, retiring Matt Diaz, Omar Infante and pinch-hitter Brook Conrad in order, marking the 20th time in his young career that he racked up double-digit Ks.

“I was just trying to keep a good rhythm,” said Lincecum about his impressive finish. “When we scored, it was a big deal to come out there and throw up a zero, so whether it was the strikeout I was getting the outs on, or ground balls, I was just trying to get outs, and trying to keep that momentum going that we had.”

Giants manager Bruce Bochy admitted that initially he wasn’t totally comfortable about sending Lincecum out there, considering the weather.

“We really debated about whether to play the game, and I have to admit I was probably as nervous as I’ve been with Timmy at the mound when it started sprinkling (in the first inning),” Bochy said. “What a game, terrific game there. Timmy, great job, …The kid’s won two Cy Youngs, so nothing surprises you when he does something out there.

“He made one mistake in the first inning, that fastball got away form him, but he settled down pitched great, in the seventh, he probably had his best inning their with his stuff.”

At first glance, the weather wasn’t the only threatening element of frustration for a crowd of 38,062. Frigid, stiff winds blowing in off the Bay quieted the crowd, and Atlanta starter Kenshin Kawakami did the same by setting down the first 11 Giants he faced.

Finally in the fourth, Sandoval broke through with a two-out triple, and Aubrey Huff singled through a vacated hole at short, as Atlanta was shading the lefty to pull.

The Giants would take the lead in the sixth, with more two-out magic, as Sandoval singled to left, Huff followed with a walk, and they both came around to score on Mark DeRosa’s single to right. Braves right fielder Jason Heyward, fielded the hit cleanly and looked to have a play on Sandoval at the plate. But the rookie’s throw was up the line, hitting Sandoval, and caroming toward the Braves dugout, allowing Huff to score, and DeRosa to end up at third.

“It’s great, obviously, coming back late like we did, that was big,” said Lincecum, who killed time during the delay with a 30 minute nap and some Golden Tee. “Pablo started off every rally we had, it was great to see him have a big day like that. ‘Huffy’ coming up big, DeRosa coming up big in an RBI situation.”

Kawakami (0-1) was the tough-luck loser, despite needing just 65 pitches in six innings against the Giants bats. The Giants would add three runs of insurance in the eighth, two of which came on Sandoval’s titanic blast that pierced through the winds before landing beyond the seats on the arcade in right center.

“Not those two, I’m not sure a hurricane would have held those up,” said Bochy, referring to both Sandoval and McCann’s booming shots.

When asked about his first round-tripper of the year, the Panda didn’t shy away, acknowledging that he likely couldn’t hit a ball much better than he hit this one.

“I don’t think so,” said Sandoval, who was 3-for-4, scored two runs and drove in a pair. “That was the pitch I was looking for. I tried to hit a line drive and got it on the barrel. It was the right spot.”

Not to be completely outdone, Heyward, who introduced himself to Giants fans by going 0-for-5 with four strikeouts Friday, continued his rebound by hitting his second homer in as many days. Heyward took Jeremy Affeldt deep, going the other way to left, making it 6-3. Affeldt would strikeout Diaz to end the game, and pick up his first save of the season, and his first since Sept. 19, 2006.

The last out arrived just in time. As the Giants greeted one another in the center of the diamond, the skies opened up, and instantly the storm was back to full strength.

“It’s been great, opening up like that, wining both series, and coming out on top,” Lincecum said. “But like I said, it’s still really early in the season. We’ve go tot carry this momentum into every series we go in to.”

Re-printed with permission of the author.

Theo is a staff reporter and feature writer for the Marin Independent Journal where he covers local prep and college sports. As an Associate Production Manager for ESPN, he helped produce Sunday Night Baseball among other national ESPN and ABC Sports telecasts. Besides his contributions to Examiner.com, the I.J. and Sports Climax, Theo is the play-by-play voice for Sonoma State University baseball and softball.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™ 

HOUSTON – At this rate Tim Lincecum will surely win his third-consecutive Cy Young award, Bengie Molina will be the most prodigious 35-year-old catcher in the game, John Bowker will win a gold glove for his outfield defense, and Mark DeRosa will shatter Barry Bonds’ single-season home run record.Oh, the excitement of an Opening Day win.

Exaggeration aside, it was an awfully fine all-around performance for the 2010 vintage of the Giants, as they picked up a crisp 5-2 win over the Astros in Houston on Monday.

Lincecum (1-0) hushed concerns after a less than Tim-like Spring, holding the Astros to four singles over seven shut-out innings. He also fanned seven, walked none, and looked cool in his second Opening Day gig as a big leaguer – he lasted just three innings against Milwaukee on the season opener last April.

“It wasn’t the kind of hyped-upped-ness where you don’t know what’s going on,” Lincecum told reporters. “Obviously Opening Day can be overwhelming, more exciting than a usual game, but I tried not to let it overwhelm me.”

Newly acquired first baseman and clean-up hitter Aubrey Huff had an excellent seat to watch his diminutive teammate.

“Just watching him tonight, I got an idea what it’s all about,” said Huff, who went 1-for-4 with a single and scored a run in the Giants’ three-run second. “He knows how to step it up.”

The Giants’ ace also improved his lifetime record to 34-2 when getting at least three runs of support. As a team in 2009, San Francisco won nearly three-quarters of its games in which they scored three or more runs – a stat that perhaps was the impetus behind the signings of Huff and DeRosa.

Both moves paid dividends Monday, as DeRosa’s first hit as a Giant was a home run off Houston reliever Tim Byrdak in the eighth inning.
But it was a walk DeRosa drew in the second, following Huff’s single, that may have been the bigger at bat. Molina, the re-minted Opening Day catcher, followed DeRosa with one of his two singles scoring Huff. THen, Bowker drilled a single off the top of the Crawford Box in left, bringing home DeRosa, and sending Molina to third. Juan Uribe’s sac-fly to deep right-center scored the slow-footed Molina, making it 3-0 Giants.

“It was nice watching the bats do their thing today,” said Lincecum, who contributed at the plate too by getting down two sac-bunts on first pitches. “… I was definitely excited for this game more than anything. This is where it matters.”

Edgar Renteria added a two-out RBI double in the seventh, and DeRosa’s blast was all the offense the Giants would need.
Sergio Romo came on and pitched a scoreless eighth, but it will likely cost him in kangaroo court, as the eager right-hander bounded off the mound thinking his strike out of Michael Bourn ended the inning. It was only out number two. Romo gave up two hits, but escaped unscathed, other than the embarrassment he’s sure to face from teammates.

“I was just excited,” Romo said. “(I got) caught in the moment on my first Opening Day.”

Brandon Medders coughed up two runs in the ninth, but closer Brian Wilson came on to pick up the final two outs, sealing the win, and earning his first save of the season.

As is the case in nearly every one of Lincecum’s starts, the ‘Franchise’ was the story. But for Giants manager Bruce Bochy, the dominance his starter flaunted isn’t anything out of the ordinary.

“The last couple times in spring training, you could see Timmy getting where he wanted to be, and he took it into tonight’s game,” Bochy said. “He was his normal self.”

Re-printed with permission of the author.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™