Bay Area Baseball

SAN FRANCISCO -- More than taking two out of three from the Washington Nationals, or seeing Bryce Harper flash his all-around game to help the Nationals salvage the finale 2-1 in extra innings today, the takeaway from this series for Giants manager Bruce Bochy was simply how the games were played.

The Giants pitched. They played tight defense. Twice, including today's loss, they trailed in the eighth inning or later and tied the game. After the 1-5 road trip on which the Giants did very little of the first two things and got the one win by out-slugging the Rockies at Coors Field, it qualified as something of a return to normalcy.

"They've had a history of doing that, the pitchers and the players," Bochy said. "They got on track here, which we needed. This is more of our baseball. Sure it's a tough loss today, but you have to be encouraged with how we did play."

That starts with the starters. Ryan Vogelsong, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner totaled 19 innings in the series and allowed three runs. That was after the rotation posted a 9.82 ERA on the six-game trip, with even Bumgarner getting tagged in Colorado for a season-high seven earned runs.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Right-hander Ryan Vogelsong was in the Giants' clubhouse this morning, wearing a cast and sling on his right arm a day after having surgery on his fractured pitching hand. Vogelsong said he hasn't had much pain in the hand and the sling is "more for comfort -- and so people don't run into me."

Vogelsong said the concern right now is more with making sure he doesn't develop an infection -- he had five pins inserted in his pinky finger during the surgery. Vogelsong suffered a dislocated knuckle and two fractures when he was hit on the hand swinging at an inside pitch Monday night.

Vogelsong said that even the initial hit wasn't too painful. The fact that it will likely keep him out of the rotation for at least six to eight weeks, he said, still hasn't really sunk in.

"I think once I start missing starts," Vogelsong said. "I think the thing that can help the most is if the team keeps playing well. ... You've got to try to look at positive sides of things -- get this thing right, get healthy and come back when it's crunch time and hopefully be able to contribute down the stretch."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Pablo Sandoval has been battling a flu for the past couple days and was still feeling bad enough Tuesday to get an IV before the Giants played the Nationals. He then played 10 innings on a night when it was 57 degrees at first pitch at AT&T Park. And he ended the game with his second career walk-off homer, a moon shot that bounced into the bleachers in the deepest part of the park in right-center field, right near the shield commemorating Barry Bonds' 756 career home runs.

"He got all of that one," manager Bruce Bochy said.

Sandoval definitely looked under the weather after the Giants' 4-2 win and was asked about being able to deliver that kind of swing under those circumstances against a pitcher he'd never faced, Nationals reliever Yunesky Maya.

"I don't know, man," Sandoval said. "Effort. You have to give 100 percent out there no matter what. This is your job. You have to fight through it."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Ryan Vogelsong had surgery to insert five pins into his fractured right pinky finger today and that the procedure "went well." Bochy said he's hopeful Vogelsong will be able to return to pitching off a mound in six to eight weeks.

Vogelsong was injured swinging at an inside pitch in the fifth inning of the Giants' 8-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Monday night. He suffered a dislocated knuckle and two fractures, one each above and below, on the pinky finger of his throwing hand.

As of now, the Giants have not decided on what to do with Vogelsong's next turn in the rotation, which they can push back to next Tuesday because of an off-day Thursday. Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner will be moved up in the rotation to pitch on regular rest.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Ryan Vogelsong had just completed his first season as a full-time major-league starting pitcher when he went to Venezuela in late 2004 to play winter ball. The season had not gone particularly well. In 31 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates, 26 of them starts, Vogelsong had gone 6-13 with a 6.50 ERA.

It was in the wake of these struggles that Guillermo Quiroz met Vogelsong in Venezuela and formed a "concept of him" that the Giants' backup catcher said still holds true about Vogelsong nearly nine years later.

"He just wanted to work," Quiroz said Monday. "He wanted to get better."

It took years, but Vogelsong did just that, becoming an All-Star for the Giants in 2011 in his age 33 season and a key part of their World Series run last year. Now, facing another type of recovery after fracturing his pitching hand in two places in the Giants' 8-0 win over the Nationals on Monday night, it's that drive that figures to serve Vogelsong well as he navigates a healing and recovery process that manager Bruce Bochy estimated will be at least four to six weeks.

The details of Vogelsong's injury and immediate reaction can be found here on the blog. Vogelsong probably didn't have to talk to reporters after the latest setback in what has already been a frustrating season for him, but he did, wearing a cast that covered most of his right forearm and vowing to return to the mound as soon as possible.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants right-hander Ryan Vogelsong suffered a fractured right (pitching) hand Monday night when he was hit by pitch on a swing in the fifth inning of the Giants' 8-0 win over the Washington Nationals.

Vogelsong grimaced as the ball appeared to catch him squarely on the top of the hand. He bent over clutching the hand and left the field accompanied by trainer Dave Groeschner and manager Bruce Bochy. The Giants announced the fracture several innings later.

Vogelsong said he suffered a dislocated joint on the knuckle of his right pinky finger and two fractures, one each above and below the knuckle. He will undergo surgery Tuesday at Stanford. Manager Bruce Bochy said Vogelsong is probably looking at a recovery time of four to six weeks.

Vogelsong, who had pitched five scoreless innings in his best start of the season, said he immediately thought the hand was broken.

"It stinks," Vogelsong said. "It stinks, especially because it's been so rough. To go out there and feel like my old self again, be throwing like that, it's tough."

Vogelsong, who came in with an 8.06 ERA in eight starts, retired the first eight hitters he faced. He stranded runners on first and second in both the third and fifth innings -- a mark of his success last year, when opposing hitters batted just .227 against him with runners in scoring position. By completing five innings, he earned his second win of the year.

"It's really a shame because tonight was the Vogey that we know, it's the way he threw all of last year," Bochy said. "It's a tough one."

Bochy said the Giants had not yet discussed what to do with Vogelsong's rotation spot. He said long reliever Chad Gaudin is a candidate, but the Giants feel Gaudin is "pretty valuable in the bullpen."

Bochy said the Giants will know more about recovery time for Vogelsong following the surgery. Vogelsong said he thinks he'll be able to keep up with range of motion and arm strength exercises while the finger heals.

"I haven't really had it sink in yet," he said. "But I'll be back. No question about it."

Vogelsong said if there's a silver lining in this, it's that the injured finger is the one used least to grip and apply pressure to the ball while pitching.

"We're not talking about Tommy John or anything," he said. "So basically as fast as I can get it to heal so I can start throwing again."

Making it all the more frustrating was that Vogelsong said he had worked with the Giants' staff to address a host of mechanical issues recently and Monday's start was "the best I've felt in a long time, from a mental aspect and physical aspect."

"It's a good place to start, I guess, when I come back," he said.

Bochy said Vogelsong was "down," but was still waiting to congratulate the team in the clubhouse when they came in after the game.

"This is going to be a little while, but these things happen unfortunately," Bochy said. "You hate to see them happen. But he'll be back, hopefully in a couple months."

-- Matt Kawahara

SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy said center fielder Angel Pagan is feeling better after leaving Sunday's game in the fifth inning with the flu, but could still be a game-time decision tonight depending on how he feels after batting practice. Pagan is in the lineup right now. If he can't go, it'll be Andres Torres in center.

Here's the Giants' lineup tonight for their series opener against the Nationals:

CF Pagan
2B Scutaro
3B Sandoval
C Posey
RF Pence
1B Belt
LF Torres
SS Crawford
P Vogelsong

And the Nationals' lineup against Vogelsong:

CF Span
2B Lombardozzi
RF Harper
3B Zimmerman
1B LaRoche
SS Desmond
LF Bernadina
C Solano
P Duke

SAN FRANCISCO -- After starting this season 2-for-23 at the plate, Marco Scutaro said on April 8 that he didn't want to use his troublesome back as an excuse, but that it really was bothering him. Apparently you're now seeing just how much -- and how much of a difference a pain-free Scutaro makes for the Giants.

Scutaro homered and doubled in the Giants' 5-1 win over the Braves today to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. He's hitting .479 (23-for-48) during the streak and has multi-hit games each of the last six days.

The home run to left off a Kris Medlen breaking ball in the fifth was Scutaro's first of the season. Of course, Scutaro was asked after the game to explain his streak. And of course, he offered pretty much the same explanation he has the past few days.

"I just feel better," Scutaro said. "I feel healthy. My back feels good and that makes me able to stay back and wait for the ball."

SAN FRANCISCO -- It's Mother's Day and breast cancer awareness day at AT&T Park, which means you'll probably be seeing a lot of pink on the field today. Players have the option of using pink bats and augmenting their uniforms with pink armbands, etc. On one end of the spectrum there's reliever George Kontos, who said as a "creature of habit" he likely won't be changing his normal game-day attire too much. On the other is Pablo Sandoval, who before the game was wearing pink cleats, preparing to swing the pink bat and had pink stickers on his fingernails.

Sandoval's right forearm, by the way, which he had X-rayed after being hit by a pitch in yesterday's game, feels "good," he said and isn't anything that will keep him out of the lineup. Sandoval is playing third and batting third against Braves righty Kris Medlen. Sandoval has four career at-bats against Medlen and is 3-for-4 with a home run.

Here's the full Giants' lineup, all regulars with the off-day tomorrow:

CF Pagan
2B Scutaro
3B Sandoval
C Posey
RF Pence
1B Belt
LF Blanco
SS Crawford
P Lincecum

And the Braves' lineup against Lincecum:

SAN FRANCISCO -- Gregor Blanco said he watched the first four innings of the Giants' 10-1 win today from the bench, saw how Madison Bumgarner was confounding the Braves and figured the Giants wouldn't be requiring his services. When Atlanta began warming up a right-hander in the bullpen in the middle innings, he put on his shin guard just in case, but didn't duck into the cages under the home dugout for any swings.

So when manager Bruce Bochy told Blanco he'd be pinch-hitting if Atlanta brought in Cory Gearrin in the fifth, Blanco said, his reaction was: "OK, let's do this." Which the Braves did after walking Hunter Pence to load the bases with one out in what was then a 3-1 game.

Gearrin came on to face right-hander Francisco Peguero, and Bochy countered with Blanco, who made it a genius move when he doubled into the gap in right-center to clear the bases and break open what became a blowout.

"No swings, no stretch, nothing," Blanco said of his pre-pinch-hitting regimen today. "It was pretty much from the bench to that swing."

SAN FRANCISCO - Giants manager Bruce Bochy just called Braves starter Paul Maholm's numbers against left-handed hitters this season "stupid." And yeah, they're pretty good. Lefties are 4-for-49 against Maholm (pictured) in his first seven starts, for a .082 average that's the lowest in the National League.

So Bochy has loaded up the Giants' lineup today with right-handed hitters. Brandon Belt gets a day off with Buster Posey at first. Guillermo Quiroz catches Madison Bumgarner. Andres Torres was originally in the lineup in left field but Bochy made a switch to get Francisco Peguero a start there.

Interesting note - it was widely covered after Quiroz hit his first walk-off homer last weekend against the Dodgers that it was also just his third career home run in the majors. The other two came in 2008 when he was playing for Baltimore. And what pitcher served up the second one? Maholm, on June 15, 2008, in a 5-4 win by the Pirates over the Orioles. Here's guessing Quiroz, who recounted both prior homers immediately after the walk-off against the Dodgers, remembers it better than Maholm.

Here's the full Giants starting lineup:

CF Pagan

2B Scutaro

3B Sandoval

1B Posey

RF Pence

LF Peguero

C Quiroz

SS Crawford

P Bumgarner

SAN FRANCISCO -- Before Friday, the Giants' last four wins and six of their last eight had come by one run. Friday night, they faced a pitcher in Tim Hudson whose last loss to the Giants came in 2006 and whose ERA in nine starts since against them was 2.48. So while manager Bruce Bochy wasn't expecting to see his team knock Hudson out of the game with a six-run fourth -- the most runs they've scored in an inning this season -- he wasn't complaining either.

"It is nice," Bochy said after the Giants' 8-2 win over the Braves. "We don't have a lot of these games. It's nice to be able to kind of work the 'pen the way you would like, give some guys a break. Guys just did a great job of putting together that big inning."

The six runs and seven hits in the inning were both single-inning highs for the Giants on the season. The seven hits were the most they've had in an inning at home since Sept. 7, 2008 against the Pirates. Marco Scutaro had two of them -- he started the rally with a lead-off single and capped it with a two-run single after the Giants batted around. They were Scutaro's first and second career hits off Hudson, his former teammate with the A's.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Ryan Vogelsong's turn in the rotation comes back around next Wednesday at Toronto. Giants manager Bruce Bochy said today Vogelsong will definitely make that start.

Vogelsong failed to make it out of the fifth inning for the second consecutive start last night in the Giants' 6-3 loss to the Braves and has a 7.78 ERA through his first seven starts. He has also allowed nine home runs in 39 1/3 innings after giving up 17 all of last season.

"I think with him it's stay behind him, let's keep getting after it," Bochy said. "He went through this last year. He had a tough rut he had to deal with, and he'll come out of this. I think he's real close."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Brandon Belt is back in the sixth spot tonight against Braves right-hander Tim Hudson and, in a bit of a shake-up of the Giants' normal left-field platoon, Andres Torres is starting over Gregor Blanco.

Blanco has been getting the bulk of starts against righties. But Torres' numbers are actually better this season hitting left-handed against righties (.764 OPS, four extra-base hits) than vice versa (.587 OPS, one extra-base hit). Torres is also having a pretty good homestand -- 5-for-12 with a solo home run.

Here's the full Giants lineup against the Braves tonight and right-hander Tim Hudson, whom the Giants haven't beaten since April 8, 2006 (he's 6-0 with a 2.48 ERA in nine starts against the Giants since):

CF Pagan
2B Scutaro
3B Sandoval
C Posey
RF Pence
1B Belt
LF Torres
SS Crawford
P Cain

And the Braves (whose 48 home runs lead the National League) against Cain (whose nine home runs allowed this season are tied for second-most in the league):

RF Schafer
SS Simmons
LF J. Upton
3B Francisco
1B Freeman
2B Uggla
C McCann
CF B.J. Upton
P Hudson

Cain earned his first win of the season in his last outing against the Dodgers. Cain has a 0.68 ERA in 13 1/3 innings against the Dodgers this year and a 7.85 ERA in 28 2/3 innings against everybody else.

-- Matt Kawahara

SAN FRANCISCO -- Tim Lincecum's first inning Tuesday was a boiled-down version of his night. He struck out three Phillies hitters, including Carlos Ruiz swinging on a 93 mph fastball and Domonic Brown waving at a changeup. He also allowed a run on two hits and a walk, the first of five the Phillies scored against him in a 6-2 win.

"That's definitely frustrating, just the lack of consistency," Lincecum said. "Making a great pitch and then not repeating it. That's the frustrating part."

Consistency was the keyword for the Giants after the game -- regarding both Lincecum and the rotation in general. Neither has possessed it through the early part of the season. Through the first two games of this series against the Phillies, the Giants' starters have combined for a 4.51 ERA (13th in the N.L.) and 15 quality starts in 33 games.

SAN FRANCISCO -- After a few days of keeping the possibility open, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said there ultimately wasn't much debate over whether to keep 13 pitchers with Jose Mijares coming off the bereavement list. By optioning Jean Machi to Fresno, the Giants keep a five-man bench and don't lose Francisco Peguero, who gives them another right-handed bat in the outfield and capable pinch runner.

"It was discussed, but right now it makes sense to go this way," Bochy said. "We always have the ability if we think we're in a box and we need another arm, we can make that move at another time."

Bochy said Machi made a strong impression with a 1.74 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings. There simply wasn't room in the pen with Mijares coming back as another left-handed option, which Bochy said he explained to Machi. For now, Machi will be a bus ride or short flight away if needed.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Angel Pagan is back in the Giants' lineup tonight after missing the past two games with a right hamstring strain. Pagan was out taking early swings on the field this afternoon and returns to center field and the leadoff spot.

The Giants announced today they activated Jose Mijares from the restricted list and sent out reliever Jean Machi, opting against keeping 13 pitchers. It was most likely a tough call with how well Machi pitched since being called up -- nine games, a 1.74 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings -- but optioning a position player would have left the Giants with a four-man bench.

Here's the Giants' lineup against Phillies right-hander Kyle Kendrick:

CF Pagan
2B Scutaro
3B Sandoval
C Posey
RF Pence
LF Blanco
1B Belt
SS Crawford
P Lincecum

And the Phillies against Lincecum:

SS Rollins
2B Utley
3B Young
1B Howard
C Ruiz
LF Brown
RF Nix
CF Revere
P Kendrick

Belt gets bumped up from the eighth spot with Crawford mired in a 2-for-32 slide, which has dropped his average from .320 to .243.

-- Matt Kawahara

SAN FRANCISCO -- Angel Pagan won't start tonight with the Giants wanting to give him another day to make sure his right hamstring strain heals completely. Manager Bruce Bochy said Pagan will most likely be available off the bench against the Phillies.

Pagan said he ran on the field at 70-75 percent before the game and "it felt good." In fact, Pagan said he woke up this morning with no hamstring pain at all. "But I guess the best way to make sure you're OK is just give it one more day," he said.

Andres Torres will play center field and bat leadoff against Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee. Bochy said it's nice having the option of not only another right-handed center fielder in Torres, but two potential leadoff options in Torres and Gregor Blanco.

SAN FRANCISCO -- After the Giants closed out a sweep of the Dodgers with another win by the slimmest of margins, Hunter Pence said semi-jokingly that it "literally feels like it's been three weeks of one-run ballgames, win or lose."

It wasn't that much of a stretch. Four of the Giants' wins in their current six-game streak, including all three games against the Dodgers, were one-run games -- as were three of the losses in the five-game losing streak that preceded it.

That has made for high-leverage situations late in games for a variety of players. One of them Sunday was Jean Machi. After the Dodgers cut a 4-0 lead to 4-3 in the eighth, with runners still on first and second and two outs, Giants manager Bruce Bochy brought in Machi to face pinch-hitter Jerry Hairston Jr.

That might normally have been a situation for Santiago Casilla, but Casilla was off-limits after pitching two innings Saturday night. Machi, who allowed his first run in seven appearances for the Giants on Saturday, got Hairston to ground out to Brandon Crawford to preserve the lead.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Angel Pagan is not in the Giants' lineup today against the Dodgers after he left last night's game with a right hamstring strain. Pagan, though, said the strain is "not bad" and he felt it would be a better idea to rest it rather than risk aggravating it. He said he'll get treatment today and is "very positive" he'll be in the lineup tomorrow.

Pagan said he tweaked the hamstring making a throw from center field on Matt Kemp's two-run single in the Dodgers' seven-run fifth inning last night. He stayed in for the rest of that inning and batted in the bottom of the fifth before being replaced in the leadoff spot by Francisco Peguero.

"I'd rather miss a couple of days than a couple of weeks or maybe a month," Pagan said. "That's something that obviously we don't want right now. We're playing pretty good and can't afford to lose anybody from the lineup. I was just trying to be smart and not to lose too much time out of the lineup."

SAN FRANCISCO -- After more than four hours, 10 pitching changes, 18 runs on 29 hits in regulation, two blown five-run leads by the Giants and a two-run lead coughed up by the Dodgers, how else was this game going to end? Guillermo Quiroz -- the journeyman backup catcher who hadn't had an at-bat since April 24 and hadn't hit a home run in a major-league game since 2008 -- stepped up against Dodgers reliever Brandon League and hit the third pitch into the left-field seats to rescue the Giants from a serious collapse and give the AT&T Park crowd its second walk-off home run in as many nights.

"I don't think any of us expected him to hit a home run," manager Bruce Bochy said.

Consider:

* Today marked 10 days since Quiroz's last at-bat, and he waited through the entirety of the four-hour, 11-minute time of game before coming to the plate in the 10th.

* Quiroz had two previous career homers in the majors, both in 2008, when he played in 56 games for the Orioles.

* League allowed one home run all season last year in 74 appearances, though he had already given up one this year as well, to the Mets' Ike Davis.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Brandon Belt is batting eighth in the Giants' lineup tonight for the fifth game in a row. Manager Bruce Bochy, though, isn't ready to make that a permanent thing.

"It's working right now," Bochy said. "Whether you're superstitious -- he's comfortable there, right now we're winning. So he'll stay in the eighth spot."

Belt hit eighth just three times last year. He's 3-for-13 with two of his three homers this season out of that spot. Bochy was also asked whether hitting Belt eighth could have the effect of getting some better pitches for whoever's hitting seventh (Brandon Crawford tonight), and said: "There could be, sure."

Here's the full Giants lineup tonight against Dodgers right-hander Matt Magill, who will be making his second major-league start after the Dodgers placed Ted Lilly on the 15-day disabled list yesterday with a right rib cage strain:

CF Pagan
2B Scutaro
3B Sandoval
C Posey
RF Pence
LF Blanco
SS Crawford
1B Belt
P Vogelsong

SAN FRANCISCO -- One thing about games like Friday night's 2-1 Giants win over the Dodgers, which ended in abrupt and dramatic fashion with Buster Posey's first career walk-off home run as a Giant -- as manager Bruce Bochy pointed out, you look back over the previous 8 ½ innings and everything that kept the Giants in the game is magnified.

Barry Zito putting the leadoff runner on in all six innings he started but only allowing one to score. Brandon Belt making a snap decision to come home with a throw on a ground ball in the second inning, cutting off a run. Hunter Pence throwing out Hanley Ramirez trying to go from first to third with nobody out on a single in the sixth, a play on which Ramirez came up grabbing his left hamstring and left the game.

All developments that seemed like they might go for naught as Clayton Kershaw was no-hitting the Giants through five innings, exhibiting his usual dominance at AT&T Park, where his ERA in 61 2/3 innings is now 0.73. And all suddenly crucial plays when the Giants broke through for a run against Kershaw in the sixth on Marco Scutaro's triple to break up the no-hit bid and Posey's double, which one-hopped the wall in right-center.

With Kershaw out after seven innings and 104 pitches, it suddenly became a bullpen game for both teams. Five Giants relievers combined to throw four scoreless innings, including Sergio Romo pitching around a one-out Matt Kemp single in the ninth. That brought Posey to the plate leading off the bottom of the inning, the game still tied.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy said the decision to option Hector Sanchez to Triple-A today was made largely to get Sanchez more game action than he saw during the first month of the season with the Giants. Sanchez missed a lot of spring training with shoulder and calf injuries and had just 23 plate appearances this season.

"Sanchez needs to play," Bochy said. "He hasn't been playing much here so we want to get him going, get some at-bats down there, pinch-hit here and there, get him going."

Bochy said Francisco Peguero, who was recalled from Triple-A Fresno, gives the Giants flexibility as a speed guy and another right-handed bat in the outfield. Peguero is hitting .415 in Fresno (27-for-65) and got the call over Brett Pill, who's also off to a good start (.367, 6 homers, 30 RBIs in 23 games).

"We just felt (Peguero) gives us a little more flexibility right now," Bochy said.

SAN FRANCISCO - This is a fine welcome home. The Giants are back at AT&T Park to kick off a 10-game homestand, they're fresh off a sweep of the Diamondbacks in Arizona, they welcome Jeremy Affeldt back to the bullpen today -- and, oh yeah, they're facing Clayton Kershaw.

Kershaw, as is well-documented, has the lowest ERA of any pitcher who has thrown at least 50 innings against the Giants (1.28), and has a 0.66 ERA in eight career games at AT&T Park (that's four earned runs allowed in 54 2/3 innings).

No doubt this will be an emotional start for Kershaw. The left-hander rejoined the Dodgers yesterday from the bereavement list, reportedly due to the death of his father.

Giants road trips to San Diego in recent years have marked a return for manager Bruce Bochy to the city where he first managed a team to the World Series. This time it doubles as a homecoming for a Giants player who was a 9-year-old watching from the stands at Qualcomm Stadium as Bochy's Padres were swept in that series by the New York Yankees.

That's utility infielder Nick Noonan, who was born in Poway and graduated from Francis Parker High School in San Diego. Noonan said earlier this week that he "wasn't a diehard fan" of the Padres growing up, but he rooted for them as the hometown team.

"Me and my dad used to play wiffle ball and we'd go through the Padres lineup and bat like them, do their little antics," Noonan said. "Do the right-handers, go through (Tony) Gwynn's little bat wiggle. It was fun."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Ultimately, the Giants' 6-4 loss to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night, a game that went 11 innings with plenty of twists and turns, came full circle in a way. On the first play of the game, sure-handed shortstop Brandon Crawford couldn't handle a tough hop off the bat of Gerardo Parra, who later scored. In the top of the 11th, two defensive lapses allowed the Diamondbacks to break a 4-4 tie on an unearned run.

That the game even got that far required another late-inning rally by the Giants, capped by another huge hit from Brandon Belt, who suddenly looks more like the spring version of himself than the one we've seen for the first three weeks of the season. The Giants in the 10th actually came within about 25 feet -- or the distance by which Cody Ross threw out Pablo Sandoval at home plate -- of winning the game on Hunter Pence's two-out hit.

"That's always a tough one to lose at home," manager Bruce Bochy said. "But you have to like the way they came back from being four runs down to tie that game. They had a great situation there, and we got a two-out base hit. They just made a great play there to throw out Pablo."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Tonight's Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin is a career .098 (4-for-41) hitter with one extra-base hit, which probably won't strike fear into anybody -- except the Giants have had their hands full with opposing pitchers at the plate early this year.

Sure, it's a fluky statistic. But of the five home runs major-league pitchers have hit so far this season, the Giants have given up three of them, with Wade Miley's shot off Ryan Vogelsong last night the most recent. The others, of course, were Clayton Kershaw on opening day off George Kontos and Yovani Gallardo in Milwaukee off Matt Cain.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Does this feel familiar? If the unofficial motto of last year's Giants was "never say die," it seems they've picked up right where they left off in October. Six of the Giants' 13 wins this season have been comeback victories, with the latest a 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks on Monday night in which Ryan Vogelsong battled himself to last seven innings, Buster Posey further validated everybody's lack of concern over his early numbers and Brandon Belt came through with the game-winning hit hours after a crash hitting course with the manager.

After waiting until the 19th game of the season to hit his first home run since last October, Posey wasted little time hitting his second -- a two-run shot in the eighth inning Monday to straightaway center off David Hernandez that tied the game at 4-4. In the ninth, Belt, who started on the bench for the second consecutive game and entered in the top of the inning as a defensive replacement, came up with Andres Torres on second base and one out and lined a 1-1 fastball into left-center field for the game-winning single.

"There's no quit in this team, I can tell you that," Vogelsong said. "We fight to the last out. It's pretty fun to watch. There's a lot of confidence in this team."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Brandon Belt isn't in the Giants' lineup for the second consecutive day -- Joaquin Arias starts at first base against a left-hander -- but that didn't make it a day off for Belt. Belt was out taking early swings on the field along with catcher Hector Sanchez under the close watch of manager Bruce Bochy, who said yesterday the two had talked about Belt's early hitting struggles and that he plans to give Belt some days off against upcoming lefties.

"When things aren't necessarily going well, sometimes you've just got to put in a little bit of extra work, figure some stuff out so you can get yourself back on the field," Belt said.

Bochy said it's common for players to get early work two or three times a homestand, but that he was out with hitting coach Hensley Meulens to help Belt fix some issues with his timing. Belt is 11-for-60 (.183) to start the year with three extra-base hits, all doubles.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants, 8-1 in the N.L. West, welcome in the only division team they haven't played in the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight. True to his word yesterday, manager Bruce Bochy has Joaquin Arias starting at first base against lefty Wade Miley, rather than Brandon Belt. Andres Torres gets the start in left.

Here's the full Giants lineup:

CF Pagan
2B Scutaro
3B Sandoval
C Posey
RF Pence
1B Arias
LF Torres
SS Crawford
P Vogelsong

And the Diamondbacks against Vogelsong:

CF Parra
LF Prado
1B Goldschmidt
C Montero
RF Ross
3B Chavez
SS Gregorius
2B Pennington
P Miley

-- Matt Kawahara

SAN FRANCISCO -- Before a pitch was thrown in this weekend's Giants-Padres series, manager Bruce Bochy was asked if too much was being made of his rotation's struggles during the prior road trip through Chicago and Milwaukee, when the starters combined for a 6.92 ERA in seven outings. Predictably, Bochy said of course there was, which now looks pretty smart from this end of the series.

The Giants polished off a sweep of the Padres this afternoon at AT&T Park behind seven shutout innings from Barry Zito, who has yet to allow a run in 21 innings at home on the season. The Giants shut out the Padres for the second day in a row, winning 5-0, and did not allow a run over the final 21 innings of the series.

Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum and Zito combined to give up two runs (both by Bumgarner) in 19 2/3 innings, and the bullpen chipped in 7 1/3 scoreless. All in all, a pretty successful weekend for a staff that was roughed up by the Brewers, before it shifts focus to the Arizona Diamondbacks starting tomorrow night.

"It's great," Zito said. "We definitely had a tough time in Milwaukee. But I think as a team we put that behind us and we came back and we were just ready to play."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy said he sat down with first baseman Brandon Belt for "a while" this morning to talk with Belt about his early struggles at the plate. After a torrid spring training, Belt is hitting .183 with no home runs and is 5 for his last 24. Likely contributing to the slow start was the stomach virus Belt caught before the opening series, which caused him to lose about 10 pounds and sapped his strength for a while.

"We talked for a while today, just about a couple things between Brandon and I, but part of it is it's natural for these guys to press a little bit and try to get hits," Bochy said. "You can't try to get hits in this game, you've just got to get a quality at-bat, try to get some good swings off, and good things happen."

Belt is not in the lineup today against Padres left-hander Eric Stults, with Joaquin Arias starting at first base. Bochy said that while it isn't a case of Belt being benched, he might give Belt a few more days off with the Giants facing more lefties in upcoming series.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Looks like no lingering effects for Pablo Sandoval from the ball he fouled off his right ankle in the seventh inning last night. Sandoval is in today's lineup and playing third. Buster Posey will catch Barry Zito, who has not fared well recently against the Padres -- in his last 11 starts against San Diego, he's 1-7 with a 5.97 ERA.

Here's the Giants' lineup against Padres lefty Eric Stults:

CF Pagan
2B Scutaro
3B Sandoval
C Posey
RF Pence
1B Arias
LF Torres
SS Crawford
P Zito

And the Padres' lineup against Zito:

RF Denorfia
SS Cabrera
3B Headley
1B Guzman
2B Gyorko
LF Blanks
C Hundley
CF Venable
P Stults

Sandoval is 6-for-10 lifetime against Stults with two walks. Joaquin Arias, who gets the start today against the left-hander, also has pretty good career numbers against Stults -- 4-for-10 with a home run.

-- Matt Kawahara

SAN FRANCISCO -- That the Giants were 3-0 in Tim Lincecum's starts this year before Saturday was as much a product of their scoring 24 runs in those games as anything else, twice bailing out the right-hander when he fell victim to the big inning that has haunted him insistently since the beginning of last year.

That was not the case Saturday night. Lincecum was sharp from the first inning in the Giants' 2-0 win over the Padres, he commanded his fastball well for most of the night and he avoided the lapses in focus that have contributed to those snowball innings. No pitch was bigger than the 3-1 fastball he threw to Chase Headley with the bases loaded and two outs in the third, which jammed Headley resulting in a groundout. That pitch is the focus of tomorrow's print story.

As for the other 94 pitches that Lincecum threw over his 6 2/3 shutout innings, there were few mistakes. Lincecum struck out a season-high eight and allowed four hits, all singles. It was the first time Lincecum has gone at least that far into a game without giving up a run since last July 14. The Giants, who are now 4-0 in his starts this season, recorded their fourth win in a Lincecum start last year on June 27.

SAN FRANCISCO -- For his 25th birthday, Brandon Belt got a surprise start against the Padres this evening. Belt wasn't in the Giants' original lineup against Padres left-hander Clayton Richard -- Joaquin Arias had the start at first. But the Padres scratched Richard with illness and will start right-hander Andrew Cashner instead. So the Giants shuffled their lineup, with Belt replacing Arias and Gregor Blanco starting in left field instead of Andres Torres.

"Sure they're thinking they're facing somebody, but (the Padres) made the change before batting practice," manager Bruce Bochy said of his hitters. "They know who they're facing, so it's not really an adjustment."

Word from the Padres media contingent is that Cashner, who has been pitching in relief, probably won't throw more than about 60 pitches. So it'll most likely be a bullpen game for San Diego. Arias and Torres will likely get starts tomorrow, with the Padres throwing left-hander Eric Stults.

Here's the full Giants lineup:

CF Pagan
2B Scutaro
3B Sandoval
C Posey
RF Pence
SS Crawford
1B Belt
LF Blanco
P Lincecum

And the Padres' lineup against Lincecum:

SAN FRANCISCO -- Standing on first base, Andres Torres was not happy with himself. His pinch-hit sacrifice attempt had bounced straight to Padres reliever Luke Gregerson, who wheeled and threw to second base to force out Gregor Blanco. It nullified Blanco's single leading off the ninth in a 2-2 game. Torres turned to confer with first-base coach Roberto Kelly, who told him: "Try to get a good jump, and go."

"You want to get your job done," Torres said. "But then it was like, forget about that, try to get a good jump and get in scoring position."

Torres took off on the second pitch of the at-bat. Padres catcher Nick Hundley's throw was off line and a little high, and Torres slid in safely with his first stolen base of the season. The next pitch, Angel Pagan (pictured, left, off-balance as No. 48 Pablo Sandoval and other teammates celebrate with him) lined a 2-0 slider to right field to drive in Torres and snap the Giants' three-game losing streak.

"We needed it," manager Bruce Bochy said. "We got a bad bunt, but Torres, that's a clutch steal there for us."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Small sample size alert: The Giants' starting rotation, in 16 games this season, currently owns a 5.07 ERA that is the highest in the National League (though that's still a full run lower than the ERA of the Los Angeles Angels' rotation -- ouch). If you factor out Madison Bumgarner's three starts, in which Bumgarner has allowed four earned runs in 20 1/3 innings, that number jumps to 5.99.

Manager Bruce Bochy was asked about this before tonight's game against the Padres and, predictably, said it's much too early to start worrying about the rotation (Barry Zito has the second-lowest ERA at 4.86 in his three starts; the three right-handers are all at 5.63 or above, with Matt Cain's 7.15 rounding it out).

"I think too much is made of a lot of things at this stage," Bochy said. "And you know you're going to have guys with slow starts, whether it's a player or a pitcher.

"Once you get into May, maybe early June, if you have concerns then, that's when you should have them."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Fresh off his Miller Park romp in which he went 7-for-12 with two home runs in three games against the Brewers, shortstop Brandon Crawford slots sixth in the Giants' lineup tonight against the Padres with Buster Posey returning to the cleanup spot. Brandon Belt is seventh, followed by Gregor Blanco.

Crawford may be sad to leave Milwaukee. The rest of the Giants couldn't get out of there fast enough. It falls to Madison Bumgarner tonight to halt the Giants' three-game losing streak. It's a role the lefty knows well. Bumgarner made 20 of his 32 starts last season on the heels of a Giants loss (most on the staff by six) and went 10-6 in those games, while the Giants were 12-8.

So far this season, due to Matt Cain's struggles and Clayton Kershaw's dominance on opening day, all three of Bumgarner's starts have come after a loss. He's 3-0 with a 1.77 ERA. So the Giants must feel like they have the right guy going.

Here's the Giants lineup that will face Padres right-hander Edinson Volquez tonight:

See the replay of our live chat featuring Matt Kawahara, The Bee's baseball beat writer, discussing the Giants and A's and their early-season success.

SAN FRANCISCO -- This was probably Bruce Bochy's best line tonight in talking about what he termed a "strange" outing for Tim Lincecum: "Unfortunately, all the innings count."

Lincecum was pretty good for five innings in the Giants' 9-6 win over the Rockies, making one mistake that Troy Tulowitzki hit for a home run but allowing only two other runners to reach base and striking out six. He was also very erratic in one, a five-run second that snowballed largely due to three walks, one of them to the opposing pitcher with two outs after getting into a 1-2 count.

So what to make of Lincecum's night? Bochy chose to focus mainly on the positives.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Buster Posey gets his first day off of the season tonight with Tim Lincecum starting, so manager Bruce Bochy knew what direction his pre-game media session was headed. With the Giants playing a day game tomorrow, Bochy said Posey was going to get either tonight or tomorrow off, and with the Giants facing a left-hander tomorrow it made more sense for Posey to rest tonight.

"It's just the way it falls this time," Bochy said.

That said, Bochy did not rule out a scenario down the road where Hector Sanchez could become Lincecum's regular catcher, if the two develop chemistry. Sanchez often caught Lincecum's starts last year -- leading to the speculation of a Lincecum-Posey rift that all parties involved have spent plenty of time refuting -- and has been behind the plate for both Lincecum starts this season.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Buster Posey gets a night off tonight, while Marco Scutaro stays in the lineup as he tries to work through his timing issues at the plate. Hector Sanchez will catch Tim Lincecum as the Giants try to make it eight in a row against the Rockies. Bruce Bochy had said he intended to give Posey a rest day either tonight or tomorrow.

Here's the Giants' lineup:

CF Pagan
2B Scutaro
3B Sandoval
RF Pence
1B Belt
LF Blanco
C Sanchez
SS Crawford
P Linceucm

And the Rockies' lineup against Lincecum:

CF Fowler
2B Rutledge
LF Gonzalez
SS Tulowitzki
RF Cuddyer
1B Helton
C Rosario
3B Nelson
P Nicasio

Helton starts after getting last night off (he pinch hit in the ninth and struck out). The veteran has pretty good numbers lifetime against Lincecum: 14-for-39 with a home run, nine walks and six strikeouts.

-- Matt Kawahara

SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy is being pretty open about the fact that his team is "not clicking offensively" right now, which until the eighth inning of Monday night's 4-2 win over the Rockies included reigning N.L. MVP Buster Posey.

Posey, who entered the game 4-for-20, came up in the first inning with two on and struck out ahead of Hunter Pence's three-run homer. In a similar situation in the eighth, though, he waited on an 0-2 breaking ball from Chris Volstad and lined it into right field to give the Giants a welcome insurance run.

It was the first RBI of the season for Posey, who collected 103 of them last year and didn't once go six games without one, as he had to start this season.

"I hadn't been letting the ball travel the first three at-bats (Monday)," Posey said. "So it was nice to pick up another run there going into the ninth."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Marco Scutaro was so consistently good at the plate after joining the Giants last season, batting .362 in 61 games down the stretch and seemingly hitting everything within reach in the postseason, that it was easy to forget he -- like all hitters -- could be prone to a slump.

"It's amazing how consistent he was," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Probably spoiled us a little bit."

Scutaro is 2-for-23 with a pair of singles to start the season, and while it's still very early, he acknowledged before tonight's game against the Cardinals that he's working through some issues with his swing.

"My timing's off," Scutaro said. "My swing's not there right now."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Bruce Bochy said after yesterday's 14-3 loss that while the offense is still sputtering for the Giants, he wasn't planning any big lineup changes. True to form, here's the Giants' lineup for tonight's game against the Colorado Rockies. Andres Torres gets the start in left against left-hander Jorge De La Rosa. Otherwise, it'll look familiar:

CF Pagan
2B Scutaro
3B Sandoval
C Posey
RF Pence
1B Belt
LF Torres
SS Crawford
P Bumgarner

And the Rockies' lineup against Bumgarner:

RF Young
CF Fowler
LF Gonzalez
SS Tulowitzki
1B Cuddyer
2B Rutledge
3B Nelson
C Torrealba
P De La Rosa

SAN FRANCISCO -- Sunday afternoon began in a wave of nostalgia and celebration for the Giants, as the members of the 2012 team -- meaning the majority of the current club, plus Aubrey Huff -- received their World Series rings. It ended on an uplifting note, too, with Brandon Belt collecting his first hit of the season, Nick Noonan his first as a big-leaguer and Guillermo Quiroz his first as a Giant.

Everything in between for the Giants was pretty forgettable.

The Cardinals racked up 14 runs on 15 hits and tagged Matt Cain for nine runs in a fourth inning that would not end. Cain -- staff ace, owner of a perfect game and nine-figure contract, fresh off a start in which he threw six scoreless innings against the Dodgers on opening day -- matched his career high for runs allowed and became the second starter in franchise history (and first since 1902) to allow a nine-spot in one inning.

"It's baseball," said outfielder Hunter Pence. "You see a lot of stuff happen the longer you play."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Manager Bruce Bochy said before today's game at AT&T Park that he probably would never wear two World Series rings at the same time. But now he could if he wanted to.

The Giants wrapped up their opening-weekend festivities today by receiving their 2012 World Series rings in an on-field ceremony before playing their series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The ring, designed by Tiffany & Co., is white gold and depicts the Giants' SF logo in 52 round melee diamonds on the face, according to a Giants news release. There are also seven round diamonds representing the franchise's seven World Series titles. One side of the ring features the recipient's name, uniform number and a cable car design, while the other denotes the Giants' 2012 postseason victories, including their four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Brandon Belt said he spent most of the Giants' ring ceremony in 2011 watching from the dugout or waiting around the clubhouse. Belt was a rookie then and didn't want to impose when he hadn't been around for the 2010 World Series run. This time he'll be a full-fledged participant when the Giants receive their 2012 World Series rings before today's game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

"It was hard to sleep last night," Belt said. "I thought about it a lot."

About an hour before the ceremony, four large blue boxes were carried out to the third-base line and placed on a white table. They apparently contain the Giants' rings, which Belt and manager Bruce Bochy both said they hadn't seen yet. (We have seen the replica rings being given away to fans at the park today -- they're pretty hefty).

SAN FRANCISCO -- Ryan Vogelsong wasn't too discouraged about his outing today in the Giants' 6-3 loss to the Cardinals. He gave up nine hits, but all were singles. Three of them didn't leave the infield. Vogelsong said he thought the full-count pitch that Carlos Beltran dumped into shallow right for an RBI single in the first broke Beltran's bat. And if Allen Craig's grounder in the fifth isn't just out of Pablo Sandoval's diving reach, he's out of that inning before Beltran delivers a big two-run single.

"Just didn't make enough pitches is what it comes down to," Vogelsong said. "Got into a situation there in the fifth where I just really needed to make one more pitch. It felt like the pitches weren't all that bad, but the results weren't all that good."

Manager Bruce Bochy agreed that Vogelsong caught a tough break with Craig's single. Brandon Crawford might have had a play on the ball -- though it was hit slowly -- but it's Sandoval's ball if he can get to it.

SAN FRANCISCO - Buster Posey didn't really have a role in Friday's flag-raising ceremonies: While they were happening, he was warming up starting pitcher Barry Zito. Today, though, the pre-game festivities will be all about Posey, who will be presented with his 2012 N.L. Most Valuable Player award in a ceremony scheduled to include past Giants MVP winners.

"Special day for Buster," manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's a special player. ... I've been fortunate to have been doing this for a while and managed some great players. But he's as good as I've had, and I think we're all going to enjoy watching this ceremony."

Meanwhile, fans are filing into the park carrying their Buster Posey bobblehead dolls. Posey (pictured) is the seventh Giant to win the MVP Award. The Giants have announced past recipients Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Jeff Kent and Kevin Mitchell will take part in the ceremony. Posey was surprised to learn of that yesterday.

"That's really cool," he said.

Posey is catching Ryan Vogelsong today. He has started four of the Giants' five games at catcher and the other at first base when Brandon Belt was too sick to play. Posey caught in 114 games last year coming off his ankle injury, and Bochy said today the plan is still to keep Posey around that number this year, though that could change.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Cardinals first baseman Allen Craig entered Friday's game with a career line of 4-for-10 against Barry Zito with three home runs. Two of those home runs came in one game last Aug. 7. They remain the only two runs Zito has allowed in his last three starts against St. Louis.

Zito, of course, threw 7 2/3 shutout innings against the Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLCS last year and, on Friday, tossed seven shutout innings as the Giants won their AT&T Park opener over St. Louis, 1-0. Craig had two singles. The rest of the Cardinals hitters totaled one hit -- Jon Jay's single to lead off the game -- and three walks.

Afterward, Zito wouldn't claim any particular effectiveness against St. Louis. "I would never say I have anyone's number," he said. "This game's too crazy and too volatile to ever get up on my haunches like that."

But Zito did seem to pick up right where he left off in the playoffs last year, mixing his mid-80s fastball with his cutter and variety of soft stuff to create weak contact from the Cardinals' hitters. He struck out Carlos Beltran in the third inning with this five-pitch sequence: 75 mph changeup, 80 mph cutter, 76 mph changeup, 71 mph curveball, 84 mph fastball. Beltran swung through the last pitch.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A quick note on the historic start to this season by the Giants' starting rotation -- with Barry Zito's seven shutout innings in the Giants' 1-0 win over the Cardinals in their home opener Friday, the rotation has now thrown 26 innings in its first four games without allowing an earned run. (The Dodgers scored two unearned runs against Tim Lincecum in the finale of that series Wednesday).

The Giants are only the second team since 1916 to have their starters not allow an earned run in the first four games of the season, according to the team's post-game notes. Can you name the other?

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

SAN FRANCISCO - Giants manager Bruce Bochy said it would be only natural if Barry Zito made his first start Friday on a bit of an emotional high - what with it also being the team's home opener - and he hoped the left-hander would "keep his concentration out there."

After Jon Jay's leadoff single for St. Louis, Zito allowed just two more hits over seven innings as the Giants beat the Cardinals 1-0 in front of an announced crowd of 41,581 at AT&T Park.

Zito didn't seem bothered much before or during the game.

During an extended ceremony in which the Giants raised their 2012 World Series championship flag, Zito seemed oblivious while playing long toss and warming up in the bullpen.

Zito threw his first three pitches for balls, allowed a leadoff single and then snapped right back into the 2012 form that made him a major reason the Giants had a banner to raise Friday afternoon.

Zito threw 102 pitches and left the mound after the seventh to a standing ovation and chants of "Bar-ry! "Bar-ry!" He allowed three singles and three walks and did not allow a runner to reach second base until there were two outs in the seventh.

The Giants' starting rotation has not allowed an earned run yet this season, a span of 26 innings. Dating back to last season, it was the 15th consecutive game the Giants won in which Zito started.

That streak, of course, included Zito's memorable start in Game 5 of the NLCS in St. Louis. With the Giants one loss from elimination, Zito blanked the Cardinals over 7 2 / 3 innings to send the series back to San Francisco.

On Friday, Zito kept the Cardinals in check with his mid-80s fastball by mixing in cutters and his signature curveball and struck out four. Jeremy Affeldt threw a scoreless eighth inning and Sergio Romo struck out Allen Craig looking to end the game.

It was the second shutout for the Giants in four games this season.

Despite the win, the Giants' continue to struggle to hit with runners in scoring position. They loaded the bases in both the third and fourth innings but scored their lone run in the fourth when Angel Pagan drew a bases-loaded walk with one out.

Marco Scutaro (1 for 15 this season) then struck out and Pablo Sandoval grounded out to end the threat. The Giants also put a runner on second in the sixth and seventh innings and failed to drive him in.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy predicted there might be some "goosebumps" for his team during today's pre-game ceremonies at AT&T Park, which included the raising of the Giants' 2012 World Series championship banner.

"It's so special seeing the flag go up and, again, realize you are the world champions," Bochy said.

Turned out the manager had a good view from center field as six of his players raised the orange-and-black flag prior to the Giants' home opener against the Cardinals. Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Angel Pagan, Hunter Pence, Sergio Romo and Ryan Vogelsong all helped carry the banner up the center-field bleachers and to the flagpole in right-center.

The roughly 45-minute festivities began with introductions of both teams. For St. Louis, assistant hitting coach and former Giants catcher Bengie Molina received a loud round of applause from the AT&T Park crowd. Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday, who took out Marco Scutaro with a hard slide on this field in last year's NLCS, were roundly booed.

SAN FRANCISCO -- It was raining last time Mike Matheny stood in the visiting dugout at AT&T Park. Marco Scutaro looked up into that rain and caught Matt Holliday's pop-up for the final out of the NLCS, and the St. Louis Cardinals watched the Giants celebrate a pennant from which Matheny's club had been one win away.

Matheny (left) and the Cardinals are back in San Francisco for the opening series at AT&T, and there will be reminders of that series everywhere this week. Today the Giants raise their World Series championship flag. Sunday, they'll get their rings. This morning, Matheny was asked if it stings a little to be on hand for the pomp.

"Just coming back here is a good reminder of how things ended for us," Matheny said. "I think everyone has a great deal of respect for the Giants organization and the team last year. But we also respect the fact that we felt we could've put a better finish on it than we did. So it's certainly a good reminder of what has happened, and a good challenge for what's ahead."

LOS ANGELES -- The Giants arrived at Dodger Stadium this week having sat through a winter's worth of outside talk about their standing pat vs. the Dodgers' free spending, the comparative qualities of their pitching staffs, the revitalization of one of baseball's oldest rivalries. They head home with a record of 2-1, after Tim Lincecum avoided the pitfalls of a strange, shaky start Wednesday night and several members of the Giants' bullpen delivered clutch outings in a 5-3 win.

"It is really satisfying for us," Lincecum said of taking the opening series in L.A. "We wanted to come in here and make a statement.

"Coming in the first series after winning the World Series, a lot of guys were looking forward to this series. I know I was personally. We took it to heart and left it out there on the field."

Update 6:25 p.m.: Giants manager Bruce Bochy said the plan was for Buster Posey to catch Tim Lincecum tonight, but with Brandon Belt still not fully recovered from his stomach virus, he decided to start Posey at first base and get Hector Sanchez his first start of the season behind the plate.

Bochy said the last reports of Sanchez's games in minor-league camp -- Sanchez was battling a shoulder issue for the latter part of spring and stayed behind for recovery when the Giants played their exhibition games against Oakland in the Bay Area -- were that Sanchez was "throwing well, swinging the bat, catching, blocking. So he's good to go."

Not so much for Belt, who said he's feeling a little better and no longer nauseous but still not back to normal. Sounds like it was a pretty unpleasant bug that he caught. Bochy said he wanted to rest Belt and make sure he's back to normal for Friday's home opener.

Also, briefly, Bochy said he can't really call Pablo Sandoval (elbow) day-to-day anymore after watching Sandoval play the first two games of the series. Sandoval had two hits off Clayton Kershaw on opening day and made a couple nice defensive plays last night to his backhand side, throwing across the diamond. Bochy said the Giants will still monitor Sandoval's workload early in the season, "but I think he's past that."

LOS ANGELES -- No pressure on Tim Lincecum tonight, but here we are in the third game of the season and he could still become the first Giants starting pitcher to allow a run in 2013. Matt Cain threw six shutout innings on opening day and Madison Bumgarner blanked the Dodgers for eight innings last night, marking just the third time since 1958 that Giants starters have thrown at least six shutout innings in back-to-back games to start the season.

Lincecum was part of the last one in 2010, when he and Barry Zito turned in a pair of scoreless outings against the Houston Astros. (The other was John Burkett and Bill Swift in 1994 against the Pirates). Going back to 1921, according to STATS LLC, the Giants have never had this happen three games in a row.

Here's the lineup the Giants will run out behind Lincecum. After saying earlier this week (and repeating last night) that Buster Posey would catch all three games of this series -- including Lincecum's start -- Bruce Bochy has Posey playing first base. It could be that Brandon Belt is still too sick to play -- we'll ask. Gregor Blanco, meanwhile, gets his first start of the season in left field and Hector Sanchez will catch Lincecum.

CF Pagan
2B Scutaro
3B Sandoval
1B Posey
RF Pence
C Sanchez
LF Blanco
SS Crawford
P Lincecum

And here's what Lincecum will be facing from the Dodgers:

LOS ANGELES -- Even after his mini-renaissance last October as a lights-out reliever, a key part of the Giants' march to a World Series title, manager Bruce Bochy said there was no question of whether Tim Lincecum would rejoin the starting rotation in 2013. It was such a foregone conclusion that the topic wasn't even broached before the Giants reconvened in Arizona this spring.

"There was never any discussion about making a change," Bochy said Tuesday. "He's a starter for us right now, and that's how we look at it."

"I think," Lincecum said, "it was just more known than anything."

In that case, Lincecum has had ample time to anticipate tonight's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, his first start since last Oct. 18 in Game 4 of the NLCS. Like Lincecum's 2012 season, that outing was tumultuous. He departed in the fifth inning of an 8-3 loss, and pitched again in the playoffs only in relief.

LOS ANGELES -- Giants first baseman Brandon Belt is being held out of the lineup tonight with a virus. Belt, who has been battling a bug for the past few days, was told to take the later bus to Dodger Stadium and got treatment from the Giants' staff when he arrived at the stadium this afternoon.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Belt would likely be available to pinch-hit tonight if needed. That could change depending on how Belt, who arrived at the stadium looking pretty drained, feels at game time. Belt was under the weather Monday as well when he went 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts in the Giants' opening day loss.

"It's a shame, really," Bochy said. "He's coming off a great spring and starts the season sick. He was really not feeling well yesterday. Looking back I probably should've given him the day yesterday. He's been washed out for a couple days now."

LOS ANGELES -- The Giants' lineup has one change from yesterday -- Joaquin Arias will start at first base instead of Brandon Belt. The Dodgers are throwing a lefty in Hyun-Jin Ryu (the rookie from South Korea, who will make his major-league debut). But the San Jose Mercury News is reporting Belt was sick yesterday as well.

Otherwise the lineup will look familiar. Pablo Sandoval obviously came away from the game OK, as he's back in at third base.

CF Pagan
2B Scutaro
3B Sandoval
C Posey
RF Pence
1B Arias
LF Torres
SS Crawford
P Bumgarner

LOS ANGELES -- George Kontos said he couldn't tell right away if the ball left Clayton Kershaw's bat with enough on it to clear the fence in the deepest part of Dodger Stadium. When it disappeared over the center-field wall, though, the Giants' reliever said he wasn't altogether surprised.

"It was a two-seamer that flattened out and he just put a good swing on it," Kontos said. "He's a big, strong guy. So you make a mistake, he's going to put a good swing on it."

Kershaw's first career home run broke a scoreless tie and proved to be all the support he needed on opening day at Dodger Stadium. The left-hander again played Giants nemesis by throwing a complete-game shutout in a 4-0 win, lowering his career ERA against San Francisco to 1.28 -- best by any pitcher with at least 50 innings against the Giants.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

LOS ANGELES -- The score one day into the 2013 season: Clayton Kershaw 1, San Francisco Giants 0.

Kershaw, the Dodgers' ace and Giants nemesis, confounded the defending champions on the mound with a complete-game shutout in the Dodgers' 4-0 opening day win and broke open a scoreless tie in the eighth inning with his first career home run.

Leading off the eighth, Kershaw hit the first pitch from reliever George Kontos -- a 92 mph fastball -- to straightaway center field. Angel Pagan gave chase briefly before turning and watching the ball sail over the fence as the crowd at Dodger Stadium erupted.

LOS ANGELES -- Pablo Sandoval starts today after taking swings in the cage and throwing at AT&T Park yesterday with no problems. The Giants will continue to monitor him for the next several days, but manager Bruce Bochy said Sandoval "wasn't hesitant throwing the ball or swinging a bat, so he's a go."

Throwing hasn't been a problem for Sandoval with his right elbow. It's been more swinging a bat -- particularly from the left side several days ago -- but Bochy said Sandoval "felt fine" yesterday. The Giants are glad to have Sandoval in the lineup -- he has six career RBIs against Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw, while the rest of the current Giants combined have two (one each to Buster Posey and Hunter Pence).

(Before the game, TVs in the visiting clubhouse were tuned to the MLB Network, which spent a couple minutes showing seemingly every at-bat Pence has ever had against Kershaw. This was not exactly a highlight reel for Pence, who has one hit in 23 career at-bats against the Dodgers' lefty. Pence wasn't at his locker while this was going on.)

* Andres Torres gets the start in left field over Gregor Blanco against lefty Clayton Kershaw as part of the platoon the Giants will use to start the season. That means Torres will likely start tomorrow as well against another Dodgers left-hander, Hyun-Jin Ryu, with Blanco getting his first start Wednesday against right-hander Josh Beckett.

LOS ANGELES -- Pablo Sandoval is a go for the Giants' opening game today against the Dodgers. Sandoval is in the lineup batting third and playing third base, meaning his right elbow is feeling up to playing. It might help that the Giants are facing a lefty in Clayton Kershaw, which means Sandoval will be batting right-handed -- the side that's been less affected by the elbow pain.

That's welcome news for the Giants. Sandoval is 8-for-29 in his career against Kershaw with six RBIs. No other current Giant has more than six career hits against Kershaw, though Marco Scutaro is 5-for-10 in his career.

Here's the lineup the Giants will run out against Kershaw. Happy opening day:

Pagan CF
Scutaro 2B
Sandoval 3B
Posey C
Pence RF
Belt 1B
Torres LF
Crawford SS
Cain P

And the Dodgers
Crawford LF
M. Ellis 2B
Kemp CF
Gonzalez 1B
Ethier RF
Cruz 3B
A.J. Ellis C
Sellers SS
Kershaw P

-- Matt Kawahara

OAKLAND -- The Giants announced their opening day roster this evening, opting to proceed with three catchers rather than five outfielders and including third baseman Pablo Sandoval as an active member.

In finalizing the club, the Giants purchased the contract of catcher Guillermo Quiroz and reassigned outfielder Cole Gillespie to minor-league camp. Gillespie will report to Triple-A Fresno.

Sandoval, who has been nursing a sore right elbow, and catcher Hector Sanchez (shoulder) are both on the active roster.

OAKLAND -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy said third baseman Pablo Sandoval is "doing a lot better today" after leaving last night's game after two at-bats with discomfort in his right elbow. Sandoval isn't in the Giants' lineup for today's game against the A's, but Bochy said he could get an at-bat later in the game.

Sandoval's (left) status for opening day remains up in the air, and Bochy said that decision could go "down to the wire," meaning Monday morning. Bochy said the Giants are "optimistic" Sandoval will be available against the Dodgers on Monday afternoon in Los Angeles, but they have to consider his health over a full season.

Bochy said the Giants could use Sandoval off the bench the first few games of the season to avoid having to put him on the disabled list. The DL is an option, but the "last option," Bochy said.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Pablo Sandoval left the Giants' 3-1 exhibition win over the A's on Friday night after two at-bats at designated hitter due to discomfort in his nagging right elbow.

"Just a little sore," said Sandoval, who didn't appear too concerned. "I don't want it to get worse (with) opening day coming. Just take it day-by-day."

Sandoval lined out softly in the first inning and grounded out in the fourth. Both times he batted left-handed -- the side more affected by the elbow. Manager Bruce Bochy said Sandoval felt the discomfort after the second at-bat and the Giants decided to pull him.

"Being cautious," Bochy said. "We'll see how he's doing tomorrow and re-evaluate him."

SAN FRANCISCO -- The overarching message from the Giants today regarding the nine-year, $167 million deal reached with Buster Posey was that Posey's brief -- if impressive -- track record of major-league production was not the only factor in his receiving the largest deal in franchise history.

Giants president and CEO Larry Baer called the deal -- an eight-year extension that will keep Posey with the Giants through 2021 with an option for 2022 -- "the largest and boldest commitment we've ever made to a player." And he stressed that it required the Giants to weigh not only the player, but the person they'd be signing.

"We've gotten to know Buster and his family quite well and there's certain elements that give us a lot of comfort in making this kind of commitment -- his professionalism, work ethic, maturity, his character, the way he plays the game," Baer said. "He plays the game with humility and is somebody you really want to put a franchise around."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Pablo Sandoval is in the Giants' lineup for this evening's exhibition game against the A's as the designated hitter and said this afternoon he's sure he'll be available for opening day.

"No," Sandoval said, shaking his head, when asked if he has any doubts about his status for Monday.

Manager Bruce Bochy wasn't as definite, but said Sandoval's right elbow was feeling good enough today to play catch at 100 feet and take batting practice from the left side. Bochy said the Giants could still scratch Sandoval if he feels anything in the elbow, but "right now he's a go."

Should Sandoval play, the Giants won't be able to backdate him past today if they feel he needs to start the season on the disabled list. Sandoval last played in a game March 16. Bochy acknowledged that's a sign the Giants feel pretty good about where Sandoval is.

"Sure there's going to be some risk, but if something were to happen he probably would need a couple weeks anyway," Bochy said.

The Giants today announced they have agreed to terms on an eight-year contract extension with catcher Buster Posey to keep Posey in San Francisco through 2021.

Posey and the Giants already had a one-year, $8 million deal for the 2013 season. The extension adds eight years to make it a nine-year deal.

The deal, worth $167 million, includes a club option for 2022.

The deal buys out Posey's remaining arbitration years and first five years of free agency. It is reportedly the largest deal in team history and longest ever for a catcher.

Posey, the reigning N.L. Most Valuable Player, hit .336 with 24 home runs and 103 RBIs last season while helping lead the Giants to their second World Series championship in three seasons.

Posey was also named the league's Comeback Player of the Year, having returned from a season-ending ankle injury sustained in May 2011. Both seasons he has played out with the Giants (2010 and 2012) have ended in World Series victories.

The Giants have scheduled a news conference later this afternoon regarding the deal.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Tim Lincecum was in control for the first three innings against the A's on Thursday night. He allowed only one hit -- a broken-bat single by Jed Lowrie -- while striking out four. That included blowing a letter-high 92 mph fastball past Yoenis Céspedes to end the first inning.

In the fourth, Lincecum left a changeup up that Céspedes crushed to left for a two-run homer. He then allowed consecutive singles to start the fifth and, after recording two outs, walked Lowrie after getting him into an 0-2 count.

It was Lincecum's final hitter. His outing -- and his spring -- ended after 81 pitches that didn't get him out of the fifth inning. When Jeremy Affeldt promptly allowed a three-run home run to Josh Reddick, it finalized Lincecum's line of five runs allowed on five hits in 4 2/3 innings -- and cemented his spring ERA of 10.57.

Lincecum's next scheduled start is Wednesday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Spring numbers notwithstanding, he said, he'll be ready.

"I feel like my stuff's there," Lincecum said. "Definitely have confidence in all of it."

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants announced today they extended the contracts of general manager Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy through 2016.

President and CEO Larry Baer said in a statement: "Brian has been the architect of one of the most successful periods in franchise history. He is a brilliant strategist who surrounds himself with some of the brightest minds in baseball - with Bruce Bochy topping that list."

Terms of the agreement were not announced.

- Matt Kawahara

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Third baseman Pablo Sandoval rejoined the Giants today and wasted no time getting back into the lineup. Sandoval, who was off representing Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, wasn't originally scheduled to play tonight against the Padres but talked his way into the lineup, manager Bruce Bochy said. He'll play third base and bat third.

"I was just going to give him another day, but he said he's ready to go and he wants to be out there," Bochy said.

Venezuela was eliminated in opening-round WBC play with losses to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Sandoval said he enjoyed the experience and had some "great moments" -- among them following a home run by Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera with one of his own in Venezuela's win over Spain. (Sandoval said the two didn't talk at all about the 2012 World Series. "That's past," he said).

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Outfielder Andres Torres returned to the Giants' lineup today in their 2-1 win over the Rangers and showed the oblique strain that kept him out of games for the past two weeks didn't drain him of his strength.

Torres went hitless in four at-bats but drove a ball to the warning track off Yu Darvish in the first inning. Then, after striking out with the bases loaded to end the fourth, Torres snapped his bat over his knee in frustration.

"My knee's fine," Torres said afterward. "The bat is broke."

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Reliever Javier Lopez threw one inning in the Giants' 13-2 loss to the Royals today, facing six batters in his first appearance this spring. Lopez has been recovering from a bruise on the back of his pitching hand.

"I remembered where the mound was, so that's a start," Lopez joked afterward. "I felt OK. Throwing strikes, so that's positive -- just being able to throw all my offspeed over the plate. Definitely felt like the first time out there for a while."

It certainly had been a while. Lopez's last outing came in Game 7 of the NLCS, when he was on the mound with rain pouring down just before the Giants clinched their trip to the World Series.

Lopez said it normally takes him about six spring outings to feel season-ready -- a very attainable number with three weeks left in March. He allowed a run on three singles Saturday and had two strikeouts. Oddly for the sidewinding lefty, the two Kansas City left-handers he faced both singled, while the strikeouts came against right-handed hitters.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Giants reliever George Kontos was drafted by the Yankees in 2006 and invited to his first big-league camp with New York in 2009. Early that spring, the then-23-year-old Kontos made a point of seeking out the Yankees' veteran closer, Mariano Rivera.

"I introduced myself and I asked him for an autograph," Kontos recalled Saturday.

Rivera graciously agreed.

"I had him sign two (baseballs) and of course I still have them," Kontos said. "I'm never getting rid of those, ever."

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Tim Lincecum threw 32 pitches in a simulated game this morning and said he felt no ill effects from the middle finger blister on his pitching hand.

"Didn't really feel it at all. It wasn't really affecting any of my pitches," Lincecum said. "Getting back to normal now."

Lincecum, who has been scratched from his last two spring starts because of the blister, threw all his pitches facing minor leaguers Nick Noonan, Gary Brown and Brock Bond in the simulated game. He is expected to return to the Giants' rotation Tuesday night against the Padres.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy said he asked closer Sergio Romo to be honest with the staff of Team Mexico today about how his arm feels, one day after throwing 26 pitches in a one-inning outing against Italy in the WBC.

Bochy said Romo told him his arm felt fine but that Romo hadn't played catch yet when they talked on the phone this afternoon. Romo was asked to tell Mexico's coaches if his arm felt tired or sore, and check in with Giants trainer Dave Groeschner as well.

WBC rules say a pitcher who throws 30 pitches in an outing must be given at least one day of rest. But Romo fell four pitches short of that benchmark and so is technically eligible for tonight's game against Team USA.

Bochy also said the Giants wouldn't hesitate to place their own call to Team Mexico if Romo said his arm didn't feel right.

SCOTTSDALE -- As Giants manager Bruce Bochy ducked into his daily meeting with coaches this morning, he confirmed that Sergio Romo's 26-pitch outing for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic on Thursday night would be a topic of discussion.

Romo was charged with a blown save in Mexico's 6-5 loss to Italy after allowing two runs on three hits in the top of the ninth. Romo, though, did not reach the 30-pitch benchmark that requires WBC managers to rest a pitcher for at least a day. So ostensibly the Giants closer could be summoned again tonight against Team USA at Chase Field in Phoenix.

That would be a lot of work for this early in spring. Bochy later said the Giants were trying to get in contact with Romo to see how he came out of Thursday night's outing, but hadn't touched base with him yet.

SCOTTSDALE -- Madison Bumgarner threw 223 1/3 innings between the regular season and playoffs last year in his second full season in the majors. Afterward, the 23-year-old talked with his more veteran rotation mates about how they planned to alter their winter workouts following such a long season.

Bumgarner said he ultimately elected not to throw any bullpen sessions until he arrived in Arizona, just throwing long toss at home instead. For that reason, Bumgarner may still be shaking off some rust this spring as he also hones a two-seam fastball and works on better holding opposing runners.

Bumgarner has thrown 5 2/3 Cactus League innings and allowed 12 baserunners on eight hits and four walks. After his two innings against the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday, in which he allowed three hits and a run, Bumgarner said he saw progress in that his command "wasn't quite as erratic."