Lincecum Gives Up 2 Runs, Giants Lose To Angels
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (CBS / AP) -- Brad Mills matched Tim Lincecum pretty much pitch for pitch.
Mills tossed six strong innings and the Los Angeles Angels beat the San Francisco Giants 5-3 on Tuesday.
The game was delayed in the ninth inning when a 50-year-old female fan was hit by a piece of a broken bat from the Angels' Mark Trumbo. Paramedics were called and the fan, who was seated behind the Angels' third-base dugout, was taken for medical attention. She was able to walk out of Scottsdale Stadium, moments before Alexi Amarista's three-run double off Javier Lopez broke a 2-all tie.
Lincecum was solid in his next-to-last spring start but the Giants' two-time Cy Young Award winner admitted to some frustration with his fastball command. He gave up two runs and five hits in five innings, striking out two and walking two.
The right-hander retired his first six batters, then issued a walk to Peter Bourjos and gave up a run-scoring double to Bobby Wilson.
The same combination worked for the Angels in the fifth, when Bourjos doubled and Wilson singled him home.
Lincecum also twice ran up three-ball counts on Mills.
"It's been frustrating as a pitcher just knowing that you can't control a fastball ... your go-to pitch and the one every other pitch works off of," Lincecum said. "When it's not working, and you can't throw a strike to a pitcher who's not swinging the bat, that's frustrating."
Mills allowed two runs and four hits. The 27-year-old left-hander, who has pitched in 14 big league games for Toronto, likely will start the season at Triple-A Salt Lake despite a 1.23 ERA this spring.
Mills' ability to change speeds makes his fastball effective, manager Mike Scioscia explained.
"You saw that today," Scioscia said.
Albert Pujols went 2 for 3 with a double for the Angels.
Angel Pagan snapped an 0-for-24 skid with an eighth-inning double for San Francisco but was then picked off second base.
Pagan, hitting .179, may have competition for the starting center field spot from Gregor Blanco, who went 2 for 4 with a double and two steals. Blanco is batting .356.
"I'm not going to announce it. I have an idea. You need to have that," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.
Pagan will get some at-bats in the coming days in minor league games, Bochy said.
"In general, we're not swinging the bats very well. It's been going on four or five days now," Bochy said. "You'd like to see the offense pick up a little bit. That was our biggest issue last year—scoring runs."
NOTES: The Giants identified the injured fan as Kathleen Dunnivan of Bethesda, Md. She was treated at Scottsdale Health Care, a hospital across the street from the stadium. "That was a shame," Scioscia said. "That thing ... was helicoptering. You were praying it wasn't going to hit anyone, and unfortunately it did." ... Giants C Buster Posey turned 25. The only hurdle left in his comeback from a broken ankle last season is to play nine innings. "But that could have been done the past few days," Bochy said. "He'll tell you he could have finished the games. I'm not concerned about nine innings for him."
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