Twins 1 - 2 Giants
Final
  for this game

Giants target another win over Twins

May 24, 2014 - 2:48 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The San Francisco Giants aim to continue their home dominance when they resume a three-game series with the Minnesota Twins Saturday night at AT&T Park.

The Giants handed the Twins a 6-2 setback in Friday's series opener, as they backed starting pitcher Tim Lincecum, who threw six innings of two-run ball and scattered five hits. He struck out four, but walked six.

Pablo Sandoval gave Lincecum an early lead with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning and Brandon Hicks hit a solo shot in the fourth, helping the Giants to their 13th win in the last 18 at home.

"I think we just have a lot of guys on the team that have the ability to drive it out of the ballpark," Hicks said. "I think we just have a solid lineup."

Angel Pagan posted two hits and a run scored and Hunter Pence extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Jean Machi pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for his second save.

San Francisco improved to 22-4 when scoring first this season and became the first NL club with 30 wins (30-18). The NL West-leading Giants will also host the Chicago Cubs on this six-game homestand and own a 15-8 record at AT&T Park, whey they have a 5-1-1 ledger in home series.

Ryan Vogelsong gets the start for San Francisco Saturday and he has won two of his last three decisions. He tossed seven shutout innings in a 4-1 win over Miami last Sunday and is 2-2 in nine starts with a 3.62 earned run average.

Vogelsong, a right-hander, has faced the Twins twice in his career (1 start) and is 1-0 to go along with a 4.50 ERA. He is 1-1 in five home starts.

Minnesota was cooled off with Friday's loss and starting pitcher Kyle Gibson was touched for five runs and five hits, including two homers, in five innings of work. He walked none and struck out four batters. Gibson was behind the eight ball after allowing Sandoval's blast in the first.

"You can't throw a fastball over the plate like that and he did," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of Gibson's pitch to Sandoval. "You have to make a better pitch than that."

Joe Mauer and Chris Parmelee had an RBI apiece for the Twins, who were coming off a two-game sweep of San Diego and had won seven of nine. The Twins, though, have won four straight series.

Minnesota went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. It also had a three-game road winning streak stopped.

The Twins, who are 11-7 since May 3, hope starting pitcher Samuel Deduno can get them back on track when he toes the rubber Saturday. Deduno is 1-2 with a 3.53 ERA in 10 games (3 starts) and recorded a win in his last assignment, a 4-3 triumph over Seattle last Saturday.

Deduno limited the Mariners to a pair of runs in six innings, struck out four and walked two. The right-hander will make his first start against the Giants and faced them once in relief on April 6, 2011.

Minnesota and San Francisco are meeting for the first time since 2011, when the Giants took two of three games in the Bay Area.






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