Giants 3, A's 0: Tim Lincecum has been spectacular, he's been dominant, but rarely has he been efficient. He was tonight. A complete game shut-out, eight strikeouts, and 110 pitches against a team that has had its offensive struggles, but the A's are no, uh, Giants. I'd also say Lincecum had his best change-up of the year. Absolutely devastating. Remember Jason Schmidt's heyday with the killer fastball/change-up combination? Lincecum's change might be better.
An efficient pitcher needs help from his defense, and Timmeh's teammates did their part, particularly in the fourth inning when Nate Schierholtz and Manny Burriss combined for a flawless relay to cut down Adam Kennedy at the plate on Jack Cust's bomb to right field. If you're wondering why the Giants are reluctant to send Burriss down to the minors to work on his hitting, watch that clip. Believe me, that throw is going to make baseball people around the league do double-takes as they brush their teeth during the 1am SportsCenter.
Best moment of the game with the Giants at the bat: Lincecum's RBI single in the 5th. On the radio side, Flemming and Miller noted at the start of the sequence that Lincecum was practically the only Giant to put up a good at-bat against A's pitcher Vin Mazzaro, even while he struck out looking in the 3rd. Sure enough, Lincecum as if on cue showed some patience, got a pitch in the strike zone, and lined a soft single up the middle.
The other great moment was Pablo Sandoval's bunt single to start the 5th inning rally. Do not make assumptions with the Kung Fu Panda.
