Lincecum Pitches Giants To 6-1 Win Over Padres
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Tim Lincecum and three relievers combined on a four-hitter and Cody Ross homered as the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants beat San Diego 6-1 Friday night, extending the Padres' losing streak to a season-high seven games.
Pablo Sandoval went 0 for 2, ending his career-best 22-game hitting streak, although he walked twice and hit a sacrifice fly. Andres Torres had three hits, two RBIs and scored three runs for the defending World Series champions.
San Diego had only four singles, three of them off Lincecum (8-7) during his six innings. The right-hander allowed one run while striking out seven and walking three to win consecutive starts for just the second time this year.
It helped that the Giants scored some runs for the two-time Cy Young Award winner, considering that he had received only six runs of support in his previous seven starts.
Jeremy Affeldt gave up one hit in 1 2-3 innings, Sergio Romo retired the only batter he faced and Guillermo Mota pitched a perfect ninth.
The Giants have taken the first two of a four-game series and have beaten the Padres four times in six meetings since July 4.
The Padres, struggling in the first season of the post-Adrian Gonzalez era, have dropped 14 games behind the Giants and 14 games under .500. San Diego has scored just 10 runs during the six-game losing streak, including consecutive 1-0 losses at Los Angeles last weekend.
The Padres scored their run off Lincecum without getting a hit. Alberto Gonzalez walked leading off the fourth, advanced on two wild pitches and scored on Orlando Hudson's grounder to second for the second out.
Ross homered to left off Dustin Moseley leading off the second, his seventh. Torres came up big all game. He singled leading off the game and eventually scored on Sandoval's sacrifice fly. Torres hit an RBI single in the fifth and eventually scored from third as Mike Fontenot was thrown out trying to steal second. He had an RBI double in the seventh and eventually scored on Ernesto Frieri's wild pitch.
Moseley (2-9) allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings, struck out three and walked two.
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