Bowker Blast Beats Tigers

John Shea - San Francisco Chronicle

On three consecutive swings during batting practice, Tim Lincecum pulled pitches over the brick wall in right field, drawing praise and amazement from his teammates and coaches.

"Save some for the game," hollered batting coach Carney Lansford.

Lincecum didn't do that. He struck out in both his at-bats. Then again, Justin Verlander throws a little harder than bullpen catcher Bill Hayes, who threw Lincecum the pitches.

The Lincecum-Verlander matchup was intriguing, considering the young ages and electric fastballs. But Lincecum wasn't sharp and surrendered four earned runs for the first time this season and two home runs to the same guy for the first time in his career.

Lincecum yielded to John Bowker, whose BP was nothing exceptional. But in the game, his three-run homer highlighted a five-run eighth inning and the Giants' 8-6 victory over the Tigers, who had won six in a row before their first visit to San Francisco in five years.

The Giants snapped a five-game home losing streak and six-game interleague losing streak.

"You always want to get the starting pitcher to work a lot. We definitely wanted to get to their bullpen, and it worked out," said Bowker, who had three hits and took a curtain call after the homer. "I knew I hit it good. But I was just trying to put the ball in play and get the guy in from third, to get the tying run in."

Verlander outpitched Lincecum, giving up two earned runs in six innings while striking out seven and walking one. Verlander was removed in the seventh for a pinch-hitter, Edgar Renteria, whose sacrifice fly scored Ivan Rodriguez to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead.

Catcher Bengie Molina thought he tagged Rodriguez on the back of his jersey before Rodriguez touched the plate with his left hand on a hook slide. Manager Bruce Bochy vehemently argued and was ejected for the third time this season. Replays showed Molina and Bochy might have had a good case.

"I felt the body, not just the jersey," Molina said. "I don't think (umpire Tom Hallion) was in good position to see the play. He said from where he was, he didn't see me make the tag."

The good news for the Giants? Verlander was done. Reliever Freddy Dolsi gave up hits to two of the three batters he faced, Randy Winn and Aaron Rowand, and Fernando Rodney was summoned to face the left-handed Bowker, who homered into the right-field arcade to put the Giants ahead 6-4.

The Giants scored twice more in the inning when Fred Lewis - who had homered back in the fifth - doubled home Rich Aurilia and Jose Castillo, and those runs proved the difference after the Tigers scored twice in the ninth off Brian Wilson on Curtis Granderson's bases-loaded single.

The game ended when shortstop Omar Vizquel backhanded Placido Polanco's grounder and barely threw him out. Keiichi Yabu, who threw a scoreless eighth inning, got the win.

Until the eighth, Marcus Thames was the headline-maker. Thames hit a solo homer in the second (on a curve) and a two-run shot in the fourth (on a change-up), both to left field.

"Those were pretty big mistakes," said Lincecum, who has allowed five homers this year, all at home.

Lincecum isn't alone. Thames' last seven hits were home runs, and he has homered in four straight games. Before Monday, the Tigers were 9-0 in games in which Thames homered. They were on their way to 10-0 before the Giants charged ahead in the eighth.