Lincecum Beats Astros With Pitches AND Bat

I do believe Michael Jackson's PYT is tonight's song. Putrid Yicky Thwingth... It was HOT today, a GOOD 100 in the shade, so this year's BBQ was held at my Mama's best friend's house - she has a pool in the backyard (and a bathroom right off the kitchen) AND she has satellite radio. You see, THAT is important because the game was blacked out because of the Saturday afternoon MLB rules. Anyway, HER house, HER sounds... Therefore, we listened to the game - we got there at the beginning of the second inning - and I wouldn't agree to turn on KTRH in the car. After the second inning is over, my brother turns to me and said - hey, these announcers are GOOD, what is your PROBLEM??? So I told him - those are the GIANT'S announcers and you are right and they are great. Ours are the absolute worst in the majors (except the Yankees - I'd rather listen to a colicky baby scream at the top of his lungs for 4 hours straight than have to listen to Sterling/Waldman. But I digress...) Let me put it like this: Miller & Kuiper: Drayton's Stooges = Albert Pujols' batting: my 5 year old son batting. Aw heck, I'll even spot you my 9 year old niece batting. But again I digress... It was interesting to listen to the Giants' announcers for another reason: they had watched Ortiz for years when he was with them. They noticed a few things: 1 - he pitched the entire game from the stretch, not the windup (interesting because it was when he went to the bullpen that he straightened himself out); 2 - His pitching motion is significantly different than it was before he had his sugery in 07; 3 - he has added a 2 seam FB as well as a slider to his pitching arsenal. They were very impressed with his pitching in spite of his giving up all those runs in the 6th. And Ortiz sailed through the first 4 innings. Then in the 5th, he did the unthinkable - walked the pitcher, which we ALL know is bad BAD luck. (Actually, Ball 3 was Strike 3, but as the announcers correctly noted, the HP ump called ALL pitches at the knees as balls all night...) Rowand singled to left and then Randy Winn hit a niiiice tailor made GIDP ball to Matsui, who lollygagged just enough getting the ball before throwing it to Tejada that by the time Berkman got the ball back, it was too late. Men on first and third, 2 out. A missed GIDP - and you know that bad fielding is not a good thing. And of course, Sandoval immediately knocked in a run. Then with Molina up, Pudge allowed a passed ball (4th this year in 57 GS) and the ump missed the call at home and Winn was declared safe, even though Ortiz had the plate completely blocked. Molina then singled to center, but Michael Bourn fired a bullet home and Sandoval was a dead duck. But this meant the Astros were down 2-0 and this is Lincecum pitching and I had a bad BAD feeling. And sure enough, 6th inning, Ortiz gets 2 quick outs, then Iskikawa, who runs just a leeeeetle faster than Bengie Molina is safe at first because of a bad throw from Tejada, which pulled Lance off the bag. It wasn't a hit, it was an error. And the floodgates just burst open - single, WALK THE PITCHER!!!!! Oh, and by the way, Dewey goes out to the mound after Ortiz threw 2 pitches not even CLOSE to the strike zone to the PITCHER, and do they pull him? HECK no. First, Rowand sneaks a 2 RBI single thru the drawn in IF. THEN does Coop pull him? Oh no. He waits until Randy Winn drives in THOSE guys with a RBI double to the gap and has Ortiz IBB Sandoval. In comes Sampson, who gives up one of those funky popup bloops down the RF line that no one gets to in time and another run scores. And then it's another RBI single up the middle before he gets that last out. And it's 8-0 Giants and even though there are a few more innings left to go, it is OVAH. sigh Gotta take my hat off to Lincecum. He walked Lance twice, gave up 2 doubles - one to Pudge barely fair down the LF line, one to Lance to left and a single to right. And that was IT. So now the Astros have been blown out 2 days in a row. sigh And Roy hasn't exactly done very well at Phone Park - he's 2-5 in 8 GS (he did a little better once Barry Lamar retired) with a 4.96 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and .330 BAA - 45.1 IP - 62 H, 14 BB, 3 HR, 27 K. Renteria is 8/27 with 2 walks, 2 doubles and 2 homers - .997 OPS Winn is 7/24 with 2 doubles and a triple Rich Aurilia is 6/18 with 2 doubles Fred Lewis is 8/14 with a walk and a double Bengie Molina is 4/12 and Aaron is 2/8 with 2 walks and 2 doubles. As Barry Lamar always said - good pitching always beats good hitters every time.