Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 15, 2013, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE C2 C 2 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, MONDAY, JULY 15, 2013 BASEBALL winnipegfreepress. com F OR anybody who has seen him regularly over the last season and a half, the natural reaction was, " Lincecum? Really?" More often than not in 2012 and ' 13, Tim Lincecum has looked lost, bewildered, absolutely incapable of recapturing the brilliance he displayed in his two Cy Young Awardwinning seasons, which feel like decades ago. Even when he was striking out more than a batter an inning, he could seem like the worst starting pitcher in the National League, which statistically he was last season. And then he goes out and throws a no- hitter - he wills his way to a no- hitter, with an unfathomable 148 pitches - and thoughts of glory days past and maybe even future flicker through your head. " I'm kind of speechless right now," Lincecum said in a post- game TV interview. Lincecum? Really? He appeared to have a better chance of getting sent to the bullpen - or of getting shipped out of town altogether, what with his free agency approaching and the San Francisco Giants fading fast - than of shackling an opponent. This is a guy who came into Saturday's 9- 0 gem against the San Diego Padres with a 4- 9 record earned fully on merit, accompanied by a 4.61 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Granted, he had only received 12 runs of support in his last 10 starts, but Lincecum had lost nine of his last 11 decisions, with a 4.78 ERA in that stretch. He had seven quality starts in 18 appearances. The last time he'd thrown a complete game was in 2011. There was not much evidence such a breakthrough was in the offing. The one thing Lincecum has maintained through these turbulent last two seasons is the ability to strike batters out, and that proved a huge factor on Saturday. He registered nearly half his outs - 13 of 27 - via strikeout, including six in a row between the second and fourth innings. But strikeouts also build up his pitch counts, as do walks, one of his chief bugaboos. There have been times when he's been so out of sync unfurling from that unique windup of his, you'd swear every batter started with a three- ball count. Lincecum walked four Padres, but manager Bruce Bochy said he had no intention of pulling him even as the pitch count mounted, and Lincecum himself sounded ready to get past the 150- pitch mark if needed. That Lincecum was at 138 pitches to start the ninth was of little consequence to him or Bochy. " He wouldn't have talked to me the rest of the year," said Bochy, " if I'd have taken him out." " I wasn't thinking it was the last out at the end of the no- hitter," Lincecum told reporters. " I was just running on adrenaline the last couple of innings. My mind kept wanting to go into pitching mode." And indeed, pitch and pitch some more he did, throwing more than anybody else during a no- hitter except for Edwin Jackson in 2010, when he completed his gem with one more pitch at 149. Lincecum will get an extended rest with the All- Star break coming, and who knows if this game marks the beginning of a return to his old form. That's probably unlikely, but regardless, for this one night the Freak show was back on. - USA Today No- hitter may mean return of The Freak SAN DIEGO - Carlos Quentin hit one of San Diego's four home runs and drove in three runs as the Padres routed Barry Zito and the San Francisco Giants 10- 1 on Sunday, a day after being no- hit by Tim Lincecum. Nick Hundley had a homer among his three hits and Chris Denorfia and Will Venable also went deep as the Padres avoided a four- game sweep by the defending World Series champions heading into the All- Star break. The Padres had been outscored 23- 3 in the first three games of the series, including a 9- 0 loss Saturday night when Lincecum threw his first career no- hitter. San Diego won for just the fourth time in 20 games. Zito ( 4- 7), who went to high school in San Diego, had another road misadventure. He was chased without getting an out in the third inning and dropped to 0- 6 with a 9.89 ERA in eight road starts. The Giants are 0- 8 in his road starts. He allowed four runs and four hits while walking two and striking out none. Zito gave up San Diego's first three homers. Denorfia hit a solo shot an estimated 417 feet into the second deck in left field with one out in the first while Hundley and Venable connected back- to- back with two outs in the second. It was the third time the Padres hit consecutive homers this season. It was Denorfia's seventh, Hundley's sixth and Venable's 11th. Quentin's two- run homer in the fifth hit the balcony on the second level of the Western Metal Supply Co. brick warehouse in the leftfield corner. It was his 12th. - The Associated Press Zito follows no- no with oh, no Lincecum tosses gem at Padres By Jorge L. Ortiz LENNY IGNELZI / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum throws in the ninth inning of his no- hitter against the San Diego Padres Saturday night. ' He wouldn't have talked to me the rest of the year if I'd have taken him out' - Giants manager Bruce Bochy, on Lincecum's high pitch count of 138 heading into the ninth inning AS the Winnipeg Goldeyes' hopes for a championship repeat slip further away, the baseball club is bringing a new look to its batting order. Coming into the clubhouse is 22- yearold infielder Kevin Moesquit, fresh off three seasons in the Los Angeles Angels' minor- league system. The Florida native played 49 games this season with the A- level Burlington Bees in Iowa, where he hit .235 with 13 RBI and five stolen bases. Last season, in 107 games with the A- level Cedar Rapids, he hit .237 with two homers, 31 RBI and 16 stolen bases. Leaving the Goldeyes is veteran outfielder Mike Coles, who hopped on board with the Fish just a few weeks ago, after starting the season coaching baseball near his Indiana home. The Goldeyes moved the 30- year- old to the Lincoln Saltdogs. The Fish are in the middle of an interleague road swing through Quebec, looking to break a losing trend that saw them get swept by the visiting Gary- SouthShore RailCats last week and lose three of four games against the Quebec Capitales, including Sunday afternoon's 7- 4 trouncing. - Staff Fading Fish acquire infielder Moesquit TAMPA, Fla. - Alex Rodriguez joked that it has been a long time since he last homered. Although he just missed getting one Sunday, A- Rod thought he was making progress. Rodriguez had a double and two RBI for Class A Tampa, his first extra- base hit during a minor league rehabilitation assignment. Rodriguez was 1 for 3 with a walk as the designated hitter against Bradenton. Coming back from hip surgery in January, he is scheduled to join Double- A Trenton for today's Eastern League game in Reading, Pa. " I'm very excited to be going up, absolutely," Rodriguez said. " I think we're on schedule. It was a very good week. Things are moving forward." Rodriguez is 3 for 21 (. 143) with three RBI and six strikeouts during his injury rehab. He drove in a run during the fifth with a double to the base of the centre- field fence at Steinbrenner Field. " I did like the way I swung the bat today," Rodriguez said. " That ball felt good off the bat. I'd to see me do that back to back days, driving the ball a little more consistently." Rodriguez was credited with a second RBI on an unusual fielder's choice. Right fielder Willy Garcia dropped Rodriguez's fly ball with two on, then threw to second for a forceout as the other runner scored from second base. " That's one thing about A ball, you see things you've never seen before, and I've never seen that, but that was pretty funny," Rodriguez said. " I think getting the ball in the air for me is probably the most important thing. Just getting the ball up into the air to centre field and the other way, to me, those are good signs." Rodriguez drew a first- inning walk and struck out on a foul tip that ended the third. Rodriguez has played eight games for Tampa and Charleston, both Class A clubs. His rehab assignment can extend through July 21, after which he expects to return to the big leagues. " That's the target, the 22nd," Rodriguez said, looking ahead to the Yankees' game at the Texas Rangers. " I'm very much looking forward to that date." Rodriguez said his legs feel fine as he advances to the next rehab step. He worked out on a back field Sunday for 35 minutes, taking 70 swings over eight rounds of batting practice and fielding 25 grounders. " The reports have been OK," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said in New York. " Physically he's doing OK, and just keep rehabbing and trying to lengthen him out, play him a couple of days in a row and see what we have after the 20 days." Rodriguez met Friday in Tampa with Major League Baseball officials investigating the distribution of performance- enhancing drugs. MLB investigators are looking into the closed anti- aging clinic Biogenesis. Rodriguez has said he used PEDs while with Texas from 2001- 03 but has denied using them since. He was linked to Biogenesis in a report in January by Miami New Times. Rodriguez has said that he has been told not to discuss the situation. " I'm going to let the due process play out," Rodriguez said. Asked about a report Sunday in the New York Daily News that his lawyers are discussing whether to seek an agreement from MLB on a 150- game suspension rather than face a possible lengthier ban, Rodriguez responded: " I don't know anything about that." - The Associated Press A- Rod doubles, dodges rumours Two RBI in rehab game, won't discuss meeting By Mark Didtler SCOTT ISKOWITZ / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Alex Rodriguez takes a rip in the minors. BALTIMORE - The Toronto Blue Jays finished a disappointing first half with another loss, one lined with a single positive thought: They won't see Chris Davis again until September. Davis hit his 37th home run to tie the AL record before the All- Star break, and the Baltimore Orioles cruised past the Blue Jays 7- 4 Sunday. Davis doubled in two runs in the first inning and hit a two- run homer in the third to give him 93 RBIs, second- most in the majors behind Detroit's Miguel Cabrera. The slugger pulled into the break with a homer in four straight games. With Davis leading the way, the Orioles took two of three against the last- place Blue Jays. " Superhuman," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. " He's having some kind of year. I saw him a little bit when he was in Texas coming up. He could always hit home runs. He got his opportunity here to play every day and he's taken advantage of it. It's pretty impressive." Davis equaled Reggie Jackson's AL mark of 37 homers before the break, set in 1969. The major league record is 39, by Barry Bonds in 2001. Davis has already reached career highs in home runs and RBIs with 66 games left in the regular season. " I think it's something definitely to be proud of," Davis said. " It means I've been doing my job, but it also speaks volumes about the guys in front of me getting on base and really swinging the bats well." His four RBIs on Sunday came against Toronto starter Josh Johnson ( 1- 5). " Not a good pitch to Davis," Johnson said of the home run. " Right now he's hitting everything. Just got to make a better pitch." The good news for the Blue Jays is that they won't face the Orioles again until Sept. 13. By then, perhaps Toronto will recover from a 45- 49 first half that featured an 11- game winning streak but ended with 13 losses in 20 games. " Definitely frustrating," Gibbons said. " These four days will be good for us. A little breather ( to) regroup. We will find out what we're made of and how good we are in the second half." Adam Jones homered and scored three runs for the Orioles. The home run was his 19th of the season and third in three games. Scott Feldman ( 1- 1) allowed three runs and five hits over 7 1- 3 innings to earn his first win with the Orioles in three starts since being traded from the Chicago Cubs on July 2. The righthander struck out seven and walked one. " I think command- wise I was a little better today," he said. " I was able to throw in that first strike when I needed to, which was helpful." After Maicer Izturis singled in a run in the ninth off Tommy Hunter, Jim Johnson got three outs for his 33rd save. Izturis had three RBIs for the Blue Jays, who fell to 4- 11 in their last 15 games at Camden Yards. - The Associated Press O's Davis won't have Jays to feast on till fall C_ 02_ Jul- 15- 13_ FP_ 01. indd C2 7/ 14/ 13 9: 30: 16 PM ;