Myers' clutch double lifts Padres over Giants
Wil Myers' RBI double in the eighth inning Friday didn't just snap the team's 22-inning streak of scoreless innings, but it lifted the Padres to a 1-0 victory over the Giants at Petco Park.
With one out, pinch-hitter Clint Barmes walked and then scored from first base when Myers doubled off the wall in right field.
"As soon as I hit it and I was rounding first, I was screaming at him to run," Myers said of Barmes.
Brandon Morrow, making his Padres debut as their No. 5 starter, threw seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and walking three. He finished with seven strikeouts.
Video: SF@SD: Black on dominant pitching in win over Giants
Morrow was matched by another fine Tim Lincecum start against the Padres. Lincecum, who has two no-hitters against the Padres, allowed four hits over seven shutout innings with three walks and five strikeouts.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Video: SF@SD: Spangenberg's single rolls fair for single
No, no-no: Lincecum didn't leave anyone in any suspense about a potential third no-no on Friday. San Diego third baseman Cory Spangenberg, the second hitter in the lineup, reached on a swinging-bunt, infield single in the first inning, as third baseman Casey McGehee waited for the ball to roll foul. But it never did.
Timmy's transformation: Nevertheless, Lincecum muted the Padres as he continued his adjustment -- which has been ongoing over several years -- to pitching with diminished velocity. Though his fastball hovered mostly in the 88-mph range, Lincecum mixed in a variety of offspeed pitches and coaxed two double-play grounders. MORE >
Video: SF@SD: Gyorko makes over-the-shoulder catch in right
The glove is just fine, thank you: Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko is scuffling at the plate. He struck out twice and hit into a double play Friday, but he's still playing very good defense. His over-the-shoulder, diving catch of Gregor Blanco's ball in shallow center field to start the eighth inning kept the Giants from starting a rally.
"A" for Aoki: Giants left fielder Nori Aoki extended his hitting streak to 13 games (dating back to last year) and robbed San Diego of an extra-base hit by racing into the gap to snare Derek Norris' fifth-inning drive.
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Talk about your home away from home. You wouldn't think spacious Petco Park would fit the bill as a ballpark of favor for an opposing hitter, though Giants' catcher Buster Posey sure looks at home here. After getting singles in his first two at-bats on Friday, Posey raised his career mark to .349 in 129 career at-bats. That's the highest clip among active Major League players.
QUOTABLE
"[Pitching coach Darren Balsley] and I were talking about it this spring ... he's got a lot of weapons. Tonight was a snap shot of what he can do. He pitched very well," -- Padres manager Bud Black on Morrow.
REPLAY REVIEW
For the second time in as many days, Bud Black called for a review, this time of a pickoff throw at first base in the sixth inning as Nori Aoki tried to beat the throw back to the bag by San Diego pitcher Brandon Morrow. Aoki was ruled safe, but Black challenged the call and got it overturned for the second out of the inning. Black is now 2-for-3 on manager challenges this season.
WHAT'S NEXT
Giants: The Giants will send Madison Bumgarner to the mound Saturday in the third game of a four-game series. He'll be opposed by a familiar face in Padres starter James Shields, who Bumgarner faced twice in the World Series last October.
Padres: It's a World Series redux, as Shields gets the start on Saturday. He will face Bumgarner of the Giants in a rematch of two World Series games from last October. Shields got a no-decision on Opening Day against the Dodgers, yielding two runs in six innings with eight strikeouts.
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