Al DeMarco
Thursday's Play
5 Dime - SAN FRANCISCO (Lincecum) - 1 1/2 Runs over San Diego (Geer)
Tim Lincecum struggled somewhat at the season's start, but the reigning National League Cy Young Award-winner has been superb of late, allowing just one earned run and 12 hits while winning his last three stats, striking out 29 over 25 innings. He's 4-1 in his last five outings with a 1.07 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 42 innings.
Lincecum was rocked in his first start this season by San Diego, allowing 10 hits and four runs in 5.1 innings while absorbing the loss. But that is his only bad recent outing against the Padres. Sandwiched around that outing, he is 3-0 with a 0.72 ERA in seven other starts with 59 strikeouts in 50.1 innings. One of those outings came May 21 on the road when he fanned 10 and allowed one run on four hits over seven innings while picking up a no-decision.
San Diego's Josh Geer is coming off four consecutive quality starts, but three of them came at pitcher-friendly Petco Park where his ERA for the year is 3.83 in seven outings. In six road starts, however, the righthander sports a 6.55 ERA. And for the season, no matter the location, Geer has allowed 98 baserunners in 79 innings pitched.
The Giants are on a 7-2 run at home, where they're 28-14 on the season. With Lincecum carrying a 29-inning scoreless streak into tonight's game, it's worth laying the 1 1/2 runs with San Francisco to back its ace at the greatly reduced Run Line price against a San Diego club that enters with a 12-29 road record. And, the Padres have lost seven of their last eight games overall.
Confirmed & paid by me.
GL!
I was just thinking the same exact thing.
^^
