Giants vs. Brewers Preview
MILWAUKEE, WI (AP) – Shaun Marcum has been the ace on a Milwaukee Brewers team that’s recorded three straight sweeps at Miller Park while putting together the best home record in the major leagues.
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The San Francisco Giants may have the answer for that in Tim Lincecum.
Coming off a dominant effort, Lincecum will take the mound for the Giants against Marcum, who seeks his NL-leading seventh win in the opener of a three-game set Friday night.
According to MLB odds and oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Brewers -108 money line favorites for Friday’s game against the Giants. Current MLB Public Betting Information shows that 51% of more than 849 bets for this game have been placed on the Giants -102.
Lincecum (4-4, 2.06 ERA) is coming off a game manager Bruce Bochy said “has got to be right up there with his best performance.” The right-hander pitched a three-hitter and struck out six in a 3-0 win over Oakland on Saturday.
Lincecum threw 133 pitches, the second-highest total of his career, but didn’t seem fazed.
“I think it just goes back to having good rhythm throughout the game. Not expending yourself too much to allow yourself, if you get into a jam, to take it to another level,” he said.
The two-time NL CY Young Award winner has a 60-31 career record, but among NL foes, Lincecum has losing marks only against Washington and Milwaukee. He’s 2-3 with a 4.62 ERA in seven starts versus the Brewers, with both wins coming in his last two visits to Wisconsin as he held Milwaukee to one run and eight hits with 18 strikeouts in 15 innings.
Lincecum is 2-1 with a 0.91 ERA in four starts this month, and he now gets to face a Brewers team that has won six in a row overall.
“It’s going to be a big challenge,” Milwaukee first baseman Prince Fielder said. “They’re a great team, but we’ve been playing good. Hopefully we can come out on top.”
Fielder is 4 for 14 with five strikeouts and left fielder Ryan Braun is 6 for 18 with two homers against Lincecum.
Following sweeps of Pittsburgh and Colorado at home, Milwaukee took its third straight from the Nationals with a 6-4 win Wednesday and moved to 19-6 on its own field. The Brewers are one short of the franchise record for the longest home winning streak set July 8-29, 1979.
“I felt all along our team would go on a roll somewhere,” manager Ron Roenicke said. “I didn’t know where it would be or when it would be.”
Roenicke will look to Marcum (6-1, 2.37) to keep the roll going. The right-hander hasn’t lost in nine games since his season debut and has surrendered one run or fewer six times.
He gave up a run, four hits and had a season high-tying eight strikeouts in eight innings of a 3-2 win against the Rockies on Saturday.
In his only other start against the Giants, Marcum didn’t receive a decision after allowing two runs and five walks in five innings for Toronto in a 9-6 loss June 20.
One player Marcum won’t face this time is Buster Posey. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year is likely lost for the season after breaking his left leg in a home plate collision Wednesday in a loss to Florida.
Minus Posey on Thursday, the Giants (27-22) dropped their third straight, 1-0 to the Marlins. Eli Whiteside was 0 for 2 as Posey’s replacement.
“That’s our cleanup hitter and one of the best hitters in baseball. I’ll do my best and play my game, but I’m not going to try to be Buster Posey,” Whiteside said.
San Francisco swept a four-game set at Milwaukee in July and has taken seven of the last eight meetings there.
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