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D-Backs continue late-season free fall
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Arizona Diamondbacks' Yusmeiro Petit works against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 8, 2008, in San Francisco.
The Associated Press
Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero, left, tries to settle pitcher Yusmeiro Petit during the third inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Monday, Sept. 8, 2008, in San Francisco.
The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO - In another otherwise dreary season by the Bay, Tim Lincecum has brought some light to San Francisco, lately emerging as the top candidate for the NL Cy Young Award.
He added another line to his résumé in a 6-2 victory Monday at AT&T Park over the Diamondbacks, whose troubles against Lincecum — and in the last two weeks — are nothing new.
Lincecum struck out nine and is 3-0 in his career against the D-Backs, striking out 44 in 36 1/3 innings after pitching a career-high 8 1/3 innings.
The D-Backs put only two runners in scoring position until getting two runs in the ninth inning on a bases-loaded fielder’s choice grounder and an infield error, a rally set up by Adam Dunn’s one-out single and Conor Jackson’s double.
“He pitched an amazing game,” said outfielder Chris Young, who was the only D-Back in scoring position in the first six innings after his double in the first inning.
“But we have to find a way no matter whose pitching, whether it is Lincecum or Jake Peavy or Derek Lowe. We’re battling, we’re just not getting the results we want. Things aren’t falling into play.
“We need to find a way to turn it around. We have to swing the bats.”
The D-Backs (71-72) fell below .500 for the first time since July 23 but remained 1 1/2 games behind Los Angeles in the NL West after the first-place Dodgers lost at San Diego, ending their winning streak at eight.
Swept in Los Angeles over the weekend, the D-Backs have lost 11 of their last 14 games and have been outscored, 25-7, in the first four games of the trip.
They are hitting .195 on the trip and are 3-for-27 with runners in scoring position, 0-for-5 Monday.
Lincecum, 16-3, lowered his ERA to 2.54 and came within two outs of his first career complete game, leaving when he loaded the bases with one out in the ninth after throwing 127 pitches.
The D-Backs are likely to see him one more time, Sept. 18 at Chase Field, in the final game of a four-game series between the two teams.
“He was something special,” D-Backs catcher Miguel Montero said. “He’s starting to learn how to pitch, mixing up his pitches. He was nasty.”
San Francisco gave Lincecum five runs in the third inning, the most damaging blow a three-run home run by Bengie Molina off right-hander Yusmeiro Petit.
Petit gave up eight hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings.
“He was leaving everything up,” Montero said of Petit. “He couldn’t find a second pitch.”
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