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Lincecum, seven-run third propel Giants past Nationals

Jun 7, 2008 - 5:05 AM By Tim Hipps PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Tim Lincecum has been a true road warrior for the San Francisco Giants.

Jose Castillo's three-run homer capped a seven-run third inning and Lincecum scattered five hits over seven frames to lead the Giants to a 10-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Friday night.

Lincecum (8-1) yielded a run and five hits while striking out five to run his road record to 6-0 in seven outings in 2008.

"When he's on top of the game, he's as good as anybody," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "What a year he's having. He pitched another great game for us tonight, and it was good to be able to give him a break. He pitched terrific today - like he has all year."

The righthander, who threw 55 of his 83 pitches for strikes, retired the first 11 batters he faced before giving up a two-out hit to Lastings Milledge.

"I was just trying to stay around the zone and try to make them make contact, and that's kind of the way it worked out," Lincecum said. "That was probably my lowest pitch count in a long time."

The 23-year-old from Bellevue, Washington became the first Giants starter to begin a season 8-1 since Bud Black and John Burkett in 1993. Of the eight San Francisco starters who have sported an 8-1 record since the club moved West, only three went on to win 20 games, including Juan Marichal (1964), Gaylord Perry (1966) and Burkett.

San Francisco led, 1-0, entering the bottom of the third before a run-scoring hit by Ray Durham, a two-out bases-loaded walk to Lincecum and a two-run single by Fred Lewis put the visitors up by five.

"That walk (to Lincecum) kept the rally going," Bochy said.

After Nationals first baseman Aaron Boone dropped a foul ball for an error, Castillo sent the next pitch by Nationals starter Jason Bergmann (1-3) over the wall in center for a three-run homer to give the Giants an eight-run bulge.

"I made a good connection," said Castillo, who had not homered since May 27 at Arizona. "It had been a long time without a homer. I'm comfortable because I play every day and I'm happy because we won and I'm hitting good."

Bergmann was tagged for eight runs - five earned - along with eight hits and two walks in just three innings, his shortest start of the season.

"I should've thrown some different pitches," Bergmann said. "It just seemed like the game plan that we had before the contest was exactly opposite of their hitting plan against me."

Nationals manager Manny Acta sensed from the start that Bergmann did not have his best stuff.

"He just didn't have it," Acta said. "Nothing. His curveball was his best pitch and he didn't even throw it that much. From the beginning, I could tell he was struggling."

Durham went 3-for-5 as San Francisco pounded out 15 hits, including at least one by every regular in the lineup other than Lincecum.

Elijah Dukes' RBI double off Lincecum scored Ryan Langerhans for Washington's run in the sixth.

"Lincecum was way too good," Acta said. "I don't even think the '27 Yankees want to fall behind 8-0 with Lincecum on the mound. It was just a tough task."