Vizquel makes season debut, helps Giants beat Phillies 8-2 to snap season-worst 5-game skid
By JANIE McCAULEY | Associated Press | May 10, 08 5:48 PM CDT in
Sports
Tim Lincecum threw strikes all day, and San Francisco's entire offense clicked in Omar Vizquel's season debut.
Randy Winn hit his first home run of the year, Aaron Rowand connected against his former club for the second time in just more than a week and the Giants ended a season-worst five-game skid with an 8-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.
Lincecum (5-1) struck out eight in eight impressive innings to outpitch 45-year-old Jamie Moyer, and Vizquel had three hits and scored a run in a successful return from the disabled list.
Jose Castillo doubled and matched his career high with four hits, scoring twice for San Francisco. Dan Ortmeier hit a two-run double in the Giants' three-run third and Emmanuel Burriss added a sacrifice fly in the inning.
Vizquel went 3-for-5 batting in the No. 2 hole, part of a balanced attack by the Giants. Rowand followed his second-inning homer with a pair of singles and scored two runs, while Winn also had a solo shot and two base hits.
Vizquel received a warm ovation for his first game of 2008, which generated much interest back home in Venezuela. The 41-year-old Vizquel began his 20th major league season about a month later than he'd planned _ becoming the first Venezuelan to play 20 seasons in the majors.
Dave Concepcion and Andres Galarraga each played 19 years in the big leagues, and Luis Aparicio 18.
Vizquel, the 11-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop who had been sidelined since undergoing left knee surgery Feb. 27, was cheered when he stepped into the batter's box in the first inning and again when he hit a sharp single to left.
"Vizquel's a good one, man," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of his former star with the Cleveland Indians.
Ryan Howard hit a leadoff homer on the first pitch from Lincecum in the second to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead, then Rowand tied it with his fourth homer leading off the bottom half. Chris Coste also homered for Philadelphia, a seventh-inning solo shot.
Moyer (2-3) faced a pitcher 22 years his junior for the second straight start. The 23-year-old Lincecum was born on June 7, 1984 _ eight days after Moyer signed his first contract. Lincecum grew up in the Seattle area and watched Moyer pitch for the Mariners. Moyer earned his first big league win one day after Lincecum's second birthday.
Moyer took his first road defeat and was done after four innings, his second-shortest outing of the season after going just 3 2-3 innings in his first start.
Lincecum struck out the side in order in the first on 11 pitches, all on called third strikes. He hit 97 mph on the radar gun.
He retired Jimmy Rollins on three pitches, then set down Shane Victorino on four pitches and Chase Utley on four more.
Lincecum, who allowed two runs and four hits, gave himself the lead with an RBI single up the middle in the second. Of his 105 pitches, he threw 74 for strikes.
Rollins was 0-for-4 in his second game back from the disabled list after hitting a two-run homer Friday night and missing the cycle by a triple. He had been sidelined for a month with a sprained left ankle.
Notes:@ Lincecum is 3-0 in four starts following Giants losses. ... Rowand, the Giants' CF, received his 2007 Gold Glove award from Manuel before the game. Rowand played the past two seasons with the Phillies before signing with the Giants in the offseason. "He doesn't drift mentally out there," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. ... San Francisco RHP Merkin Valdez, who missed the 2007 season recovering from elbow ligament replacement surgery, is nursing tightness in his forearm but it's in a different area and not believed to be related to the operation.
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