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Giants turn to Lincecum in San Diego

Apr 6, 2011 - 3:00 PM (Sports Network) - A week into the new season and the San Francisco Giants are quickly learning that it isn't easy being the king.

Having struggled out of the gate, the defending champions will turn to their ace Tim Lincecum tonight in the hopes of salvaging a split of their two-game series with the San Diego Padres this evening at Petco Park.

The Giants have dropped four of five as they begin defense of their first title since 1954, sandwiching a pair of two-game losing streaks around an impressive 10-0 victory over the Dodgers on Saturday for their worst start since beginning the 2008 season just 1-6.

Offense was the issue in Tuesday's opener with the Padres, with the Giants going 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and leaving seven men on base in a 3-1 setback. Aubrey Huff drove in the lone run and Madison Bumgarner took the loss after yielding three runs over three-plus innings of work.

"We had our chances out there today and we didn't take advantage," said San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy. "A timely hit or two and it's a different story."

It was the same story the last time Lincecum took the hill, which came last Thursday in San Francisco's season opener versus the Dodgers. The two-time National League Cy Young Award winner yielded just one unearned run over seven innings, but it was enough to take a 2-1 loss despite limiting Los Angeles to five hits and three walks over seven innings.

San Francisco, though, committed three errors in the game, including catcher Buster Posey's throwing error in the sixth inning that allowed the unearned run to score.

Though Lincecum split two meetings with the Padres last year with an unsightly 5.06 earned run average, the 26-year-old righty is 5-3 in his career versus them in 13 starts with a 2.08 ERA and 100 strikeouts over 86 1/3 innings.

Bochy is likely to have a new option behind Lincecum should his ace go deep into the game as the Giants are expected to activate closer Brian Wilson off of the 15-day disabled list. He had been sidelined with a strained oblique muscle after setting career highs last year in saves (48), appearances (70) and ERA (1.81).

The Padres will try to get to Lincecum early after having limited offense on Tuesday. San Diego was actually out-hit by the Giants, 8-7, but got RBI from Jorge Cantu, Chase Headley and Chris Denorfia -- all in the third inning -- as well as three hits from catcher Nick Hundley in winning for the third time in four games to start the season.

That turned out to be enough for Aaron Harang, who yielded just a run on six hits over six innings, striking out six in his San Diego debut before Heath Bell locked down his second save of the season with a perfect ninth.

"In all different counts he did a good job of keeping them off balance," said San Diego manager Bud Black of Harang. "He worked his way out of a couple of jams that made the difference in the game."

Black will go with Opening Day starter Tim Stauffer tonight after the fourth overall pick of the 2003 draft pitched well in a no-decision versus the Cardinals last Thursday. The right-hander allowed two runs on nine hits and a walk over six innings of his team's eventual 5-3 extra-inning victory.

Stauffer, who got the call on Opening Day with Mat Latos out with a right shoulder strain, is 4-2 with a 2.53 ERA in seven career games versus the Giants, five of those starts.

San Diego got the better of its series with the Giants last season, winning 12 of the 18 matchups. However, the Padres were just 5-4 in the series at home a year ago.