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Lincecum takes the mound at Wrigley

Jun 29, 2011 - 3:02 PM (Sports Network) - San Francisco's rotation has been flying under the radar this season and is the main reason why the Giants have ripped off a season- best seven straight wins.

Two-time NL Cy Young Award honoree Tim Lincecum will try to keep the mound momentum going tonight in the third test of a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The defending World Series champions are coming off Tuesday's doubleheader sweep of the Cubs thanks to solid pitching from starters Ryan Vogelsong and Barry Zito.

Vogelsong was the recipient of an offensive explosion in a 13-7 rout of the hosts in the opener. Vogelsong still managed to improve to 6-1 this season even though he was reached for six runs -- three earned -- in five innings.

"I just didn't execute pitches very well today," Vogelsong said.

That didn't matter since Pat Burrell and Miguel Tejada both homered and Aaron Rowand finished with three RBI on a bases-clearing double during a five-run top of the fifth. Burrell clubbed a two-run shot and finished with three runs batted in, while Tejada collected three hits and two runs scored for the Giants, who had an 18-8 advantage in hits.

San Francisco's 13 runs set a season high after it posted 12 on June 2 at St. Louis. The club has scored 10 or more runs only three times this season.

It was Zito's turn in the nightcap and the left-hander, who was just activated off of the disabled list because of a foot problem, held the Cubs to a pair of runs and four hits in seven innings. San Francisco starters are 6-0 on this current winning streak.

"It looked like he didn't miss a beat," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

Brian Wilson came on in the ninth inning and closed the door for his major league-leading 24th save. Wilson has converted 24-of-26 save chances this season and 12 in a row overall. He has allowed only one run in the last 18 appearances, spanning 18 2/3 innings.

Nate Schierholtz led the offense with three hits and two RBI, Brandon Crawford went 2-for-4 with two runs batted in and a run scored and Eli Whiteside knocked in a run for a ballclub that entered the twinbill hitting just .120 with runners in scoring position the last 10 games. They went 8-for-16 with RISP during the first game and ended 4-for-15 in the evening.

San Francisco leads the National League West by 2 1/2 games ahead of Arizona and has won seven in a row since a five-game slide. The last eight-game winning streak occurred in April of the 2007 season. It has scored 34 runs over the current streak and will also visit Detroit for three games.

Meanwhile, Lincecum will try to push his record over the .500 mark when he takes the hill this evening. He was 0-2 with a 7.59 ERA in four starts before beating the Twins at home last Thursday in a 2-1 victory.

Lincecum struck out 12 batters over seven shutout innings and issued only two walks to even his 2011 mark at 6-6 in 16 starts with a 3.16 ERA. The righty has fanned 10 or more batters 30 times in his career (4 in 2011). Lincecum has made seven career starts against the Cubs, going 3-3 with a 3.50 ERA, and is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in three starts at Wrigley Field.

If everything goes according to plan, the Cubs are expected to win tonight in the third portion of this series. Since June 18, they have won after losing two straight and look to keep the trend going after a doubleheader sweep.

Cubs starter Doug Davis fell to 1-7 on the season in the matinee affair and was hammered for 10 runs on 12 hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings.

"I couldn't keep anybody off-balance," Davis simply stated afterwards.

Carlos Pena homered for the seventh time in 13 games and Koyie Hill also went deep, while Blake DeWitt went 2-for-4 with three RBI for Chicago. Starlin Castro saw his career-high hitting streak end at 10 games by going 0-for-5.

Rodrigo Lopez took the hill in the second contest and was saddled with the loss, permitting four runs -- one earned -- and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. Aramis Ramirez and Lou Montanez both homered in defeat, the Cubs' second straight and eighth in 11 tries. The Cubs will also host the White Sox for three games on this residency and could get second baseman Darwin Barney back in the lineup tonight. Barney has been on the DL since June 14 with a sprained left knee and is batting .294 with 25 RBI and 34 runs.

Ryan Dempster is slated to take the mound tonight for Chicago and is 1-2 with a 3.68 earned run average in his last five starts. He did not record a decision in Friday's 6-4 win at Kansas City and allowed four runs -- two earned -- on nine hits over six innings. The right-hander is 5-6 in 17 starts with a 5.31 ERA and 3-4 in nine outings at Wrigley Field.

Dempster, a right-hander, defeated San Francisco on May 13 in an 11-4 triumph, as he tossed six innings of two-run ball with 11 strikeouts. In 24 career games (14 starts) in this series, Dempster is 5-8 with a 4.65 ERA.

The Giants and Cubs split a rain-shortened series back in May. San Francisco has won nine of the previous 12 meetings between the two teams.