Pirates Keelhaul Lincecum, Giants

 
(July 8, 2012) -- San Francisco starter Tim Lincecum turned in another miserable outing Sunday as the visiting Giants fell 13-2 to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
 
Lincecum lasted just 3 1/3 innings against the Pirates in the rubber match of a three-game series. That was long enough for him to get tagged for six runs, three of which scored via a couple of home runs and another that came in on a base hit by opposing pitcher A.J. Burnett.
 
The Giants concluded a disappointing road trip with a 1-5 record and will enter the All-Star break trailing Los Angeles in the standings.
 

Lincecum (3-10) gave up a two-run homer to Andrew McCutchen in the first inning and a solo shot to Neil Walker in the third. Things unraveled for him in the fourth, when a walk and three singles -- the last by Burnett -- led manager Bruce Bochy to pull his embattled starter from the game.

When reliever Clay Hensley replaced Lincecum in the fourth, the bases were loaded and the Giants already trailed by four. The Pirates got another run on a sacrifice fly by Drew Sutton and another still when Walker singled to center field.

Lincecum came into Sunday's matchup having given up nine home runs, second fewest on the Giants' staff. The Pirates took him deep twice, becoming the fourth team to do so in 2012.

His opponent, Burnett, was as effective from the mound as he was at the plate, where he picked up his 10th career RBI and first since 2005. In facing the Giants' lineup, Burnett (10-2) was simply dominant, giving up two runs and striking out five over 6 1/3 innings.

The Giants mustered just four hits against Burnett. Half of them came in the seventh inning, which is when Pablo Sandoval sent a 3-2 pitch over the center-field fence. The big fly came after Buster Posey had doubled, and it kept San Francisco from being shut out.

Aside from Hensley, who entered during a sticky situation and wasn't charged with any runs, the performance by the rest of San Francisco's bullpen didn't exactly make for a bright spot in this one, either. Jeremy Affeldt gave up a run on three hits in the fifth, while Brad Penny surrendered three runs on three hits in the sixth. Only two of Penny's runs were earned. They are the first he has allowed while wearing a Giants' uniform.

George Kontos let the Pirates tack on two more runs in the seventh. McCutchen's second homer of the game also scored Walker, who had picked up his fifth hit of the game in the previous at-bat. Justin Christian's fielding error allowed another Pittsburgh run to come home in the eighth.

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