Andrew Baggarly
Mercury News
Sandoval loved it. To everyone's delight, he immediately put it on and modeled it in the clubhouse prior to the Giants' 5-2 opening-day victory over the Houston Astros.
No, the Giants are not a scout's dream. Their ace pitcher is too skinny, their best hitter is too plump and their lineup lacks the everyday horses that are typical prerequisites to the postseason.
But they are comfortable in their own skin, and for at least one night, they proved capable of a near flawless game. Lincecum got an early start on a Cy Young three-peat, their modestly improved lineup got to Houston ace Roy Oswalt for a three-run second inning and a suspect defense made all the plays as the Giants won on opening day for the second consecutive year.
They looked tension-free as they filed out for the pregame stretch. They didn't play tight, either.
Lincecum (1-0) offered the opening-day dominance he couldn't deliver a year ago. He mixed four pitches and was around the plate with all of them, holding the Astros to four singles without a walk in seven shutout innings. When he got in a jam, he went to his lethal changeup, which accounted for most of his seven strikeouts.
John Bowker, who won an everyday job despite concerns over his defense, tracked down a deep fly ball in the right field corner to help Lincecum exit the second inning. Center fielder Aaron Rowand made a running catch in the fifth, too. And Bengie Molina, who once thought he'd be anywhere but catching Lincecum on opening day, smothered countless pitches in the dirt. The Giants didn't cuff around Oswalt (0-1), but they worked counts, squared up a few pitches and made their own breaks — all things that ran in short supply last season. Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa contributed in their very first plate appearances with their new club. Huff led off the second inning with a single, and with Huff on the run, Mark DeRosa showed discipline while walking on a 3-2 pitch. With the table set, Molina and Bowker each drove in runs with well struck singles — Bowker's was a deep shot off the short wall in left field — and Juan Uribe followed with a sacrifice fly. Edgar Renteria hit a run-scoring double in the seventh inning and DeRosa hit a solo homer to right field in the eighth. It was enough for Lincecum, who only allowed two runners into scoring position and faced his only real jam in the sixth. With runners at second and third, he threw a slider that cleanup hitter Carlos Lee popped up. The only disappointment came in the ninth inning, when Brandon Medders coughed up two runs and forced manager Bruce Bochy to use closer Brian Wilson. The Giants almost completed their first opening day shutout since 1994, when John Burkett and two relievers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-0 at Candlestick Park.
| San Francisco | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rowand, CF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .000 |
| Renteria, SS | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .667 |
| Sandoval, P, 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .250 |
| Huff, A, 1B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .250 |
| Ishikawa, 1B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| DeRosa, LF | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .333 |
| Molina, B, C | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 |
| Bowker, RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .250 |
| Romo, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Medders, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Wilson, B, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Uribe, 2B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .667 |
| Lincecum, P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Schierholtz, RF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Totals | 32 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 9 | .313 |
2B: Renteria (1, Sampson).
HR: DeRosa (1, 8th inning off Byrdak, 0 on, 1 out).
TB: Renteria 3; Sandoval, P; Huff, A; DeRosa 4; Molina, B 2; Bowker; Uribe 2.
RBI: Molina, B (1), Bowker (1), Uribe (1), Renteria (1), DeRosa (1).
2-out RBI: Renteria.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Rowand; DeRosa; Sandoval, P.
S: Lincecum 2.
SF: Uribe.
GIDP: Huff, A; Sandoval, P.
Team RISP: 3-for-8.
Team LOB: 5.
| Houston | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bourn, CF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .250 |
| Matsui, K, 2B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| Pence, RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .000 |
| Lee, C, LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .500 |
| Blum, 1B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 |
| Feliz, 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .250 |
| Towles, C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .250 |
| Manzella, SS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .250 |
| Oswalt, P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| a-Sullivan, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Sampson, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Byrdak, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| b-Keppinger, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Gervacio, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| c-Michaels, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Totals | 36 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 13 | .250 |
2B: Blum (1, Medders), Towles (1, Medders).
TB: Bourn; Matsui, K 2; Lee, C 2; Blum 2; Feliz; Towles 2; Manzella.
RBI: Feliz (1), Towles (1).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Lee, C 2; Pence; Michaels.
Team RISP: 1-for-7.
Team LOB: 7.
FIELDING
DP: 2 (Matsui, K-Manzella-Blum, Oswalt-Manzella-Blum).
Groundouts-flyouts: Lincecum 8-6, Romo 0-2, Medders 1-0, Wilson, B 1-0, Oswalt 10-5, Sampson 2-0, Byrdak 2-1, Gervacio 1-0.
Batters faced: Lincecum 25, Romo 5, Medders 4, Wilson, B 2, Oswalt 25, Sampson 5, Byrdak 4, Gervacio 3.
Inherited runners-scored: Wilson, B 1-0.
Umpires: HP: Tim Welke. 1B: Tim Timmons. 2B: D.J. Reyburn. 3B: Mike DiMuro.
Weather: 77 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 13 mph, Out to CF.
T: 2:34.
Att: 43,836.
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