Game Recap: The Tim Lincecum of Old Silences Mets Bats in 4-1 Loss

The Giants made plenty of news Tuesday afternoon before the trade deadline passed, as they acquired Hunter Pence from the Phillies, another bat that they desperately need in their lineup. When they took the field, Tim Lincecum turned back the clock to last year, dominating the Mets over seven strong innings.

Mets Offensive Highlights:

New York staked Harvey to another early lead, but it took longer this time than it did in Arizona. Scott Hairston singled with one out in the second inning, and Justin Turner hit his second double in as many nights, plating Hairston with the first run of the ballgame. Both Hairston and Turner enjoyed multi-hit games, but the offense couldn’t muster any runs to give Matt Harvey some support. The best chance New York had to get back in the game was in the top of the seventh; Hairston singled, followed by a Mike Baxter walk, then Turner singled again to load the bases. After Josh Thole lined out, Collins called upon David Wrightto pinch hit on his day off with the bases loaded. However, Wright was called out on strikes to end the inning, and the threat, as Lincecum’s night was then over.

Giants: Offensive Highlights:

Although it would have been nice to see Matt Harvey complete his MLB career with a 0.00 ERA, all good things must come to an end, and they did in the bottom of the second. Buster Posey singled to lead off the frame, followed by a double from Marco Scutaro; a walk to Brandon Belt loaded the bases, and although Harvey was able to induce a fielder’s choice at home once, Brandon Crawford did the same, but to the middle infield, as not only one run scored, but a second one did on Ruben Tejada‘s errant throw. San Francisco then put something together in the sixth inning; Ryan Theriot doubled, followed by a single from Melky Cabrera, then a walk to Buster Posey loaded the bases. Harvey was able to induce a double play grounder from Marco Scutaro, but a run scored to give the Giants a 3-1 lead at the time. They then added some insurance in the eighth, as Scutaro was at it again, singling in Theriot.

Pitching Highlights:

Tim Lincecum looked like what the Giants and their fans were used to seeing last night, as he continued to pitch well at home and against the Mets this season. He went 7 innings and gave up 1 run on 6 hits, 1 walk, and 7 strikeouts. Jeremy Affeldt pitched two scoreless innings in relief while striking out 3 hitters for his second save of the season.

Matt Harvey pitched well, but takes his first career loss last night. He went 6 innings last night, giving up 3 runs (2 earned), on 4 hits, 3 walks, and 7 strikeouts. Tim Byrdak followed him with a scoreless inning of relief, but Ramon Ramirez gave up a hit and 2 walks, allowing the 4th run of the game for San Francisco to cross the plate.

Worth Noting:

His Major League career is now 11.1 innings long, and Matt Harvey has registered 18 strikeouts. The Mets left 5 men on base last night, and went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position. David Wright received a day off last night, whereas Jason Bay was out of the lineup because of an injured shin, and Andres Torres is nursing an injured hand.

New York drops to 50-54 on the season, and while they stay 12 games back of the Nationals in the division, they lost another game in the Wild Card standings, now 9.5 back.

Probable Pitchers Wednesday:

Jonathon Niese (7-5, 3.86 ERA) heads to the mound, attempting to erase the performance he put together in Arizona from everyone’s memory. He will have a tall task at hand, as he will be taking on NL All-Star game starter, Matt Cain (10-3, 2.80 ERA). First pitch at AT&T Park is scheduled for 10:15pm EST.