May 4, 2011
GIANTS (14-15) vs.
NEW YORK METS (12-17)
Coverage begins at 3:30 P.M. on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area
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NEW YORK (AP) -- Hitting has been a major problem for the San Francisco Giants, and they're hoping that's about to become a thing of the past.
Tim Lincecum surely feels the same way.
Coming off their best offensive showing in more than two weeks, the Giants will try to give Lincecum some support as he attempts to avoid a personal three-game losing streak by getting his first road win over the New York Mets on Wednesday night.
San Francisco (14-15) is hitting .237 as a team but showed some punch at the plate Tuesday with two homers, including a go-ahead, 10th-inning shot from Aubrey Huff to lift the Giants over the Mets 7-6. The win was a confidence boost for a club that had dropped eight of its previous 11.
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"It was big for us to put up some runs," San Francisco right fielder Nate Schierholtz said. "Just a matter of time. ... We're not worried. You go through ups and downs as a team. We had plenty of them last year. Better early than late."
REWIND: Huff's 10th inning blast powers Giants over Mets
The Giants' scoring in the opener of this three-game set was their highest since an 8-1 win at Colorado on April 18, also the last time Lincecum (2-3, 2.90 ERA) got a victory.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner has since lost two starts while getting just one total run of support. He didn't get any help Friday, allowing three runs with seven strikeouts in seven innings while the lineup was five-hit by Jason Marquis in a 3-0 loss at Washington.
Now, Lincecum will try to win in New York after going 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA in his last three starts there.
Production from Huff would surely help.
The first baseman is batting a paltry.190 after hitting 100 points higher while leading the Giants with 26 homers and 86 RBIs last season. His clutch homer Tuesday snapped a 3-for-41 slump over 12 games.
"Hopefully that gets me going," said Huff, who has a .395 average with two homers and seven RBIs in his last 11 games against the Mets.
URBAN: Giants may recall Belt to fix offensive woes
The Giants have won five of six versus New York, including two at Citi Field.
The Mets have dropped four of five following a season-high six-game winning streak, and in Lincecum they'll face a Cy Young winner for the third time in four contests.
"Well, if you're going to win, you've got to face the best there is," manager Terry Collins told the team's official website.
Collins will give the ball to Chris Capuano (2-2, 6.04), who has alternated wins and losses in his four starts. The left-hander gave up four runs and 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings of a 4-3 loss at Washington on Thursday. That performance came a week after he limited Houston to one run in seven innings of a 9-1 home win.
Capuano is 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA in eight games - four starts - against the Giants. However, he hasn't started against them since Sept. 23, 2006, as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Jose Reyes went 3 for 3 Tuesday, and is hitting .367 with four doubles and eight runs over his last 12 games. He's 4 for 9 off Lincecum.