Diamondbacks 7 - 3 Giants
Final
  for this game

Giants aim to beat D'backs for the fourth straight time

Apr 9, 2014 - 2:44 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The San Francisco Giants take aim at their fourth straight win over Arizona when they host the Diamondbacks for the second of a three-game set at AT&T Park on Wednesday.

The Giants improved to 6-2 on Tuesday with a 7-3 victory over Arizona, who they have gone 4-1 against in the early season. Brandon Belt and Angel Pagan continued their hot hitting, as Belt finished 2-for-4 with his fifth home run of the season and two RBI, while Pagan rose his batting average to .441 with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate and a pair of runs scored.

"I've got more balance than I've had in the past and it's enabled me to get better contact," Belt said. "I think it's just being here for so long -- it seems like a long time; it's only been a couple of years -- you know the park, you know what you're going to get."

Martin Prado accounted for three of Arizona's seven hits on Tuesday. Second baseman Aaron Hill went hitless in four at-bats with three strikeouts, while first baseman Paul Goldschmidt went 1-for-4 with a double to raise his average to .385.

The D'backs, though, went just 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and are batting just .188 in those situations on the campaign.

However, Goldschmidt is a dreaded adversary of Tim Lincecum, who will take the hill for San Francisco on Wednesday.

"Unless I throw underhanded to him, I got to figure out something," Lincecum said of Goldschmidt, who owns a career .522 batting average (12-for-23) with six homers and 13 RBI off him.

The 29-year old Lincecum made his season debut last Thursday against the D' backs in Phoenix and surrendered four runs on eight hits over six innings. Goldschmidt and Mark Trumbo both posted two-run home runs against him in the contest.

Lincecum will go up against veteran righty Bronson Arroyo for the second time this season. In the first matchup, Arroyo lasted 4 1/3 innings during which he gave up two runs on five hits with a pair of walks en route to a no-decision.

"I felt good today, as good as I could have asked for," Arroyo said after his first start. "It's a long season, that's what it is. You try to chew up as many (innings) as you can. If you consistently do that, then you've done your job. And if you get knocked out like I did today before you can even finish five, then you haven't."

This will be the second start for Arroyo with Arizona after spending the previous eight seasons with the Reds. In his last appearance in San Francisco on July 22, Arroyo pitched a complete game shutout with seven hits, six strikeouts and no walks.

Belt is 5-for-9 with two home runs versus Arroyo. Pagan is 10-for-22 versus Arizona this year.






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