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Astros-Giants Preview

May 15, 2010 - 6:32 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Houston (13-21) at San Francisco (18-15), 4:10 p.m. EDT

Tim Lincecum outpitched Houston's Roy Oswalt to open the 2010 season. San Francisco hopes its ace can do it again.

The two-time reigning NL Cy Young Award winner looks to continue both his individual dominance over Houston and that of his team when the Giants and visiting Astros continue their weekend series Saturday.

Lincecum (4-0, 1.86 ERA) allowed four hits and struck out seven in seven scoreless innings of a 5-2 opening-day win at Houston, improving to 3-0 with a 1.37 ERA in six career starts versus the Astros. The right-hander has not given up a run in his last 15 1-3 innings against Houston.

"He has great stuff," first-year Astros manager Brad Mills said. "With him, you want to slow the game down as much as you can, but with the way the game is now, you really can't do that."

Lincecum's 2.95 ERA and 32 strikeouts over his last three starts are solid, but he has not earned a decision in any of them. He allowed two runs and a season-high seven hits in six innings of a 6-5 win at New York on Sunday.

He'll look to help San Francisco (19-15) to a second straight victory after it snapped a three-game skid Friday with an 8-2 win over Houston. It improved the Giants to 4-0 against the Astros this season, and was their sixth consecutive victory in the series since last August.

Andres Torres had three hits with two RBIs and Pablo Sandoval added two hits with an RBI as the Giants broke out after being held to four runs while getting swept by NL West-leading San Diego earlier this week.

On Saturday, the Giants will again try to get the best of Oswalt (2-4, 2.63), who allowed three runs in six innings of the Astros' opening day loss. The veteran right-hander is 5-6 with a 3.76 ERA in 14 starts against San Francisco.

Oswalt takes the mound one day after saying he would waive the full no-trade clause in his contract if Houston (13-22) wants to try to shop him this season.

"Until they get ready to do something, all you can do is pitch," said Oswalt, who's spent his entire career with the Astros since breaking into the majors in 2001.

"I'd love to win here," he said. "I just pitch every five days. There's nothing I can do about it. It's a business, and that's part of it."

Coming off a three-game sweep at NL Central-leading St. Louis, the Astros had their four-game winning streak snapped Friday. Hunter Pence homered and had three of the seven hits for Houston, which was otherwise stymied by San Francisco starter Todd Wellemeyer, who allowed two runs in 7 1-3 innings.

Pence, who went 0 for 12 against the Giants last month, is 10 for 22 with four homers and eight RBIs in his last five games. However, he's 2 for 14 with six strikeouts against Lincecum.

Sandoval is 18 for 39 with 10 RBIs in his career versus the Astros.