(AP Photo/Lori Shepler)
Lincecum scattered four hits over six innings and set career highs with three hits and three RBIs, leading the San Francisco Giants to a 9-0 victory over the sloppy Dodgers on Saturday.
“That was a good day hitting for me. So if you put it all together, yeah, it was a pretty good day,” Lincecum said. “But I’m not going to start bragging about my batting average and start giving out hitting lessons any time soon.”
The two-time All-Star got all three of his RBIs against knuckleballer Charlie Haegerbefore the Dodgers got their first hit against him, helping the Giants build an early 5-0 lead. Lincecum drove in batterymate Bengie Molina with San Francisco’s first run, pushing a bunt single past the mound in the second inning.
“I was thinking sacrifice, and I was trying to bunt it that way. It just happened to be hard enough to get it past the pitcher,” he said.
In the third, Lincecum came up with the bases loaded and stroked a two-run single to right-center.
“I was guessing fastball in that count,” said the 5-foot 11, 163-pound pitcher, who had only three RBIs last season in 66 at-bats. “He started me off 1-0 and probably didn’t want to get to 2-0. So I just guessed right.”
Lincecum (3-0) struck out seven and walked two. He has allowed just two runs over 20 innings in his first three starts.
“This kid’s special, to accomplish what he has already,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s got great stuff, poise, and he’s so competitive. We had a tough game here last night, and then he comes out and pitching like that and do the things he was doing offensively. That’s impressive. But nothing he does surprises me anymore.”
Now we just got to get the kid to quit the chewing tobacco, because that stuff is gross.
