Friday night the San Francisco Giants sustained a big blow from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ offense and starter Vicente Padilla. Though Aaron Rowand may disagree, the Giants’ arch rivals waited until the eighth inning of Sunday’s rubber match before delivering the knock-out punch.

Pinch hitting with a runner on and one out, Manny Ramirez hit career home run 548 off Giants reliever Sergio Romo (0-1), lifting the Dodgers to a 2-1 win, and spoiling one of Barry Zito’s best career starts as a Giant.

Zito was masterful in 7 1/3 innings, scattering four hits, fanning three, and allowed just one run, which was a result of a walk to pinch-hitter Garrett Anderson – the last hitter he would face — who scored on Ramirez’s blast. Ramirez hadn’t played in the series since departing part way through Friday’s contest with a strained calf. It was also just the second pinch-hit homer in Ramirez’s 18-year career.

“Romo, he’s been throwing as well as anybody,” Bochy told reporters. “He’s one of our setup guys. I like him out there. He’s made some great pitches. I’ve got him and (Jeremy Affeldt). That is their role, to pitch in the seventh and eighth innings.”

Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw was nearly just as good. The 22-year-old Dodger lefty pitched into the seventh, allowing just four hits and a run, while striking out nine, and walking four. The lone run allowed was on a Juan Uribe (1) solo-homer in the seventh, which came after a long battle, from which Uribe fell down 0-2 before battling back in the at bat.

Without the presence of veterans Mark DeRosa (hamstring), and Aaron Rowand – who was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday – the Giants missed two right handed mainstays in their lineup that may have proved to be helpful against Kershaw.

Eugenio Velez led off and played left field, while Andres Torres filled in in center, hitting eighth. The duo combined to go just 1-for-7 with a walk, and three strikeouts. The Giants also wasted a lead-off double from Aubrey Huff in the fourth, and they left the bases loaded in the eighth when Ramon Trancoso got Uribe to ground out to end the inning.

Second guessing is a part of baseball, and over 162 games a skipper is going to have plenty of chances to be questioned. Giants manager Bruce Bochy will no doubt receive some heat because of the fashion his team lost this one.

But there’s a reason Ramirez holds the record for postseason homers with 28, and is a likely first-ballot Hall of Famer – he’s clutch, and he’s really, really good.
And pitching match-ups, execution, and righty-lefty showdowns often stand out more than assigning blame where it may more easily fit.

The Giants stranded eight runners on Sunday, and had lead-off runners on in three separate innings, and none of them scored. The result was the first series loss for the Giants in 2010, and prevented Zito from improving to 3-0 for the first time in his career.

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™

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™