Early in his career, Tim Lincecum looked like he'd be a lock to throw a no-hitter. That lock status diminished as Lincecum's pitching abilities also began to go down the tubes, especially with the shell of a player he's become over the last two seasons. But on Saturday night, the 29-year old lefty had a vintage Lincecum start at Petco Park as the Giants topped the Padres 9-0 – nine innings, no runs, four walks, 13 strikeouts…and no hits. That's right, a no-hitter for Lincecum to go along with his two Cy Young Awards and two World Series rings. That'll top of a pretty solid career, wherever he may end up next season in whatever role.
PIC OF THE DAY
Buster Posey hoists Tim Lincecum after his no-hitter. (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)
Game of the Day: White Sox 5, Phillies 4 (11 innings). This game went into extra innings tied at three, and both teams blew solid chances to score in the tenth. In the 11th inning, JC Ramirez retired the first two White Sox hitters before allowing a triple to Alejandro de Aza and an RBI double to Alexei Ramirez. Ramirez would then score after Jimmy Rollins booted a routine grounder from Alex Rios to give the ChiSox a two run lead. In the bottom of the inning, Darin Ruf led off with a double, and scored on a single from Humberto Quintero to cut the lead to a run. But Ben Revere grounded into a game-ending double play, and to add insult to injury, broke his foot on the pitch before that double play to send Philly to the second game of their doubleheader with Chicago on an even lower down note.
Pitching Lines of the Night: Aside from the dominance of Lincecum, there were several great pitching performances on Saturday…so many that I'm going to have to cut a couple out. Zack Greinke threw a complete game shutout for the Dodgers against the Rockies in LA's 1-0 win, allowing two hits, one walk, and punching out nine. Hector Santiago dazzled the Phillies, but the White Sox still lost the second game of the doubleheader 2-1 in 13 innings, by allowing one run on three hits in 7 1/3 innings, striking out nine and walking one. AJ Griffin shut down the Red Sox in Oakland's 3-0 win, giving up six hits over eight scoreless innings, walking one and punching out three. And then, there's King Felix, who carried the Mariners to a 6-0 win over the Angels, giving up seven hits in eight shutout innings, punching out four without a walk.
Hitting Lines of the Night: In Lincecum's no-hitter, Hunter Pence went 2/4 with two runs, five RBI, a triple, and a homer. Darin Ruf of the Phillies went 3/4 with two runs, a walk, a double, and a solo homer in game one of the Phillies-White Sox doubleheader, offsetting his 0/4, three strikeout performance in game two. Lonnie Chisenhall of the Indians went 2/4 with a double, a homer, and four RBI in Cleveland's 5-3 win over Kansas City. Justin Smoak backed Hernandez's great game in Seattle by going 2/3 with a homer and four RBI. In game one of the doubleheader in Philly, Ramirez went 4/6 with a run, and RBI, and a pair of doubles. Finally, the Rangers duo of Nelson Cruz and Adrian Beltre carried Texas to a 7-1 win in Detroit, as Cruz went 4/5 with two runs, an RBI, and a double, while Beltre 3/5 with a two-run homer.
Other Games: The Twins homered three times in a 4-1 win over the Yankees. Toronto beat Baltimore 7-3. The Rays edged the Astros 4-3. Matt Garza won again as the Cubs beat the Cardinals 6-4. The Braves topped the Reds 5-2. The Pirates doubled up the Mets 4-2. The Marlins beat the Nationals 2-1 in ten. The Diamondbacks rallied to beat the Brewers 5-4.
What You Missed: Jose Altuve got a nice contract extension from the Astros. Bill Nye threw out the first pitch at Safeco Field. Astros mascot Orbit pulled off a shocking upset in the Mascot Home Run Derby. The White Sox have dealt Matt Thornton to the Red Sox.
Today's Games: James Shields starts for the Royals in Cleveland. CC Sabathia and the Yankees host the Twins. Justin Verlander and the Tigers host the Rangers. Josh Johnson starts for the Blue Jays in Baltimore against Scott Feldman. Julio Teheran and the Braves host Tony Cingrani and the Reds. Jose Quintana and Cole Hamels will duel in Philly. Gerrit Cole and the Pirates host the Mets. Jhoulys Chacin and the Rockies battle Ricky Nolasco and the Dodgers. Bartolo Colon and the A's host the Red Sox. Hisashi Iwakuma and the Mariners host the Angels. Adam Wainwright and Travis Wood battle in primetime at Wrigley.
National TV: Rangers-Tigers (1 PM, TBS), Cardinals-Cubs (8 PM, ESPN)
MLB.tv Free Game: Angels-Mariners (4 PM)
Pitching Matchup of the Day: Adam Wainwright vs Travis Wood (Cardinals vs Cubs, 8 PM)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
