Lincecum Returns Right on Time, K’s 11 in Giants Vital 9-1 Win Over Rox

Grant at McCovey Chronicles has a typically hilarious post-game thread following last night’s win, which includes an image that pretty much sums up the feelings of Giants fans right now:

11K’s in 7-innings work with only one run given up. Not a bad way for Tim Lincecum to come back as he helped the Giants beat the Rockies 9-1.

The Giants are now 3.5 back of the Rockies as they attempt to overtake them in the N.L. Wild Card race.

Lincecum has given up a run via a wild pitch but that’s the only blemish on the night so far. Through 7 innings, the Rockies only have six hits and have been struckout 11 times by Lincecum. 4-1 Giants.

You wouldn’t know that Tim Lincecum was coming back from any kind of injury. Clearly, the Rockies don’t seem to notice a difference. Through five innings, Lincecum is pitching a 3-hit, 9K shutout as the Giants lead the Rockies 4-0.

As expected, Tim Lincecum will return to the mound Monday just in time to take on the surging Colorado Rockies, who lead the Giants by 4½ games in the NL wild-card race.

“I’ll be as ready as I should be. I’m going to take it out there like any other start and not put any added pressure on myself.”

Alas, Bumgarner is mortal, as the Padres got to the Giants’ rookie starter in the second inning when outfielder Chase Headley hit his 11th home run of the season, a screaming liner to left-center to tie the game 1-1. Bumgarner also gave up a single to Will Venable in the inning, but stranded the runner at first when he got catcher Nick Hundley to ground out back to the mound. The Giants had scored in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Bengie Molina.

Though Giants fans wish super prospect Madison Bumgarner were making his major league debut under different circumstances, they have to be pleased with his first inning of work, in which he retired the top of the Padres lineup in order. Mixing in several curveballs and a change up with a steady stream of low-90s fastballs away, Bumgarner got Everth Cabrera on a ground out back to the mound, David Eckstein on a shallow fly to right, and Adrian Gonzalez on a chopper to second base.

The San Francisco Chronicle has confirmed that left handed phenom Madison Bumgarner will start in place of the injured Tim Lincecum.

Bochy said he told Bumgarner he was starting about 25 minutes ago. “You look at our situation and he’s our best option,” Bochy said. “He had a good year. The kid came up on a fast track. He’s our best choice to go out there. He was our best starter in the minor-leagues.“Bumgarner was selected #10 overall in the 2007 draft and has been thoroughly dominant in his two seasons in the minors. Since being called up to AAA Connecticut early this summer, Bumgarner has logged 107 impressive innings, compiling a 1.93 ERA and 1.02 WHIP, with batters hitting just .209 against him. If there’s anything about which to nitpick, it’s his 69:30 strikeout-to-walk ratio since jumping up a level, which isn’t stellar, but then you remember what the scouts have been saying this summer...

McCovey Chronicles’ Grant is not exactly happy with the Lincecum news, and he’s handling about as well as we can imagine anyone handling it: