Reds Rout Giants, Lincecum 11-0 In Series Opener
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Bronson Arroyo's latest impressive performance at AT&T Park brought back memories of his Game 2 win in the playoffs last fall.
Arroyo tossed a seven-hitter for his sixth career shutout, beating Tim Lincecum and the Giants 11-0 Monday night for his first regular-season victory in San Francisco and No. 100 with the Cincinnati Reds.
Arroyo (9-7) struck out six and didn't walk a batter in his 15th career complete game, a 108-pitch gem that ended in 2 hours, 45 minutes. He had run support, and then some.
"Guys just kept hitting," he said. "I didn't know how many hits we had and I looked up in the ninth and it was 17 hits. That's unbelievable."
Devin Mesoraco and Shin-Soo Choo homered in the second inning off Lincecum, pitching for the first time since his no-hitter at San Diego.
Jay Bruce also hit a solo homer, Todd Frazier added a three-run double and Derrick Robinson, a late addition to the lineup, had three hits. The Reds finished with nine extra-base hits.
"I couldn't have ordered it up any better than that," manager Dusty Baker said.
Robinson also provided the defensive highlight. Jeff Francoeur's two-out fly to center in the ninth appeared destined for the other side of the fence, and even Arroyo thought his shutout was gone. Robinson instead made a leaping grab after the ball initially popped out of his glove.
Lincecum (5-10) was roughed up in his first start since throwing his first career no-hitter in a 148-pitch performance July 13.
The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner received a rousing ovation during pregame introductions, then immediately struggled while pitching on eight days' rest after tossing the 15th no-hitter in franchise history and seventh since the club moved West in 1958.
The Giants were handed their most lopsided shutout loss since getting beaten 11-0 by Arizona on Aug. 27, 2009.
"Honestly, it's a little bit embarrassing," first baseman Brandon Belt said. "It's something we definitely want to change. We can stop it right now and go out and win a couple of ballgames and be right back in it."
Cincinnati denied Bruce Bochy his 1,500th career victory as a manager. He is trying to become the 21st skipper to reach the milestone. Detroit's Jim Leyland and Baker are the only active managers with more victories.
Lincecum matched his career high by allowing three home runs, the third time he's done it. He was tagged for a career-high eight earned runs and nine hits in 3 2-3 innings, hardly the way the right-hander wanted to come out after his gem at Petco Park.
"They didn't miss any mistakes off him," Bochy said. "I do think the first inning took a toll on him. You're so close to getting out of it and I'm sure that was deflating for him."
Cincinnati opened an 11-game West Coast trip that takes the Reds to all three California NL West cities with an emphatic win against the defending World Series champions. San Francisco rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the NL division series last fall to stun the Reds - becoming the first team in major league history to rally from three games down in a best-of-five series with three straight road wins.
"I said yesterday, the times we have slid downhill out here on the West Coast, it's because we've gotten off to a bad start," Arroyo said. "It was important for us to get off good today, and this is about as good as you can get. Saved the bullpen a bit, those guys have been working hard over the last three games, and the bats came alive as good as they have all year."
The teams will play a traditional doubleheader Tuesday in which the Reds will wear their Sunday home uniforms - white pants with red tops - as the visiting team and bat last in the nightcap, a makeup for a July 4 rainout at Great American Ball Park.
Choo began the game with a double and Robinson followed with a bunt single, then Frazier doubled three batters later. After Mesoraco led off the second with a homer and Choo connected two batters later, Bruce hit his team-leading 20th clout in the third.
San Francisco is winless in four games against the Reds this season, getting outscored 25-3.
NOTES: Lincecum has allowed 16 runs in the first inning this year. ... The Giants will call up LHP Eric Surkamp to pitch Tuesday's opener, his first start in the big leagues since Sept. 28, 2011, after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He is from Cincinnati. ... Baker improved to 17-14 as a visiting manager at AT&T Park (7-6 with the Cubs, 10-8 for the Reds). He departed as Giants skipper following an NL pennant in 2002. ... The Reds lead the majors with 11 wins on Mondays. ... Giants RHP Ryan Vogelsong, who begins a rehab assignment Tuesday in the Arizona Rookie League after breaking bones in his right pinkie on May 20, turned 36. ... San Francisco reliever George Kontos threw a career-high 63 pitches in 3 1-3 innings.
