Giants' Lincecum dominates Cardinals with 2-hitter

[June 30, 2009]  ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Tim Lincecum threw a two-hitter for his third complete game of the season, and Travis Ishikawa homered in the San Francisco Giants' 10-0 rout of the slumping St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.

Lincecum (8-2) tied with teammate Matt Cain for the league lead in complete games and his 2.37 ERA is second in the NL after mastering the punchless Cardinals with his third career shutout and fifth career complete game. He needed only 95 pitches to complete the game and finished off the Cardinals in a snappy 2 hours, 6 minutes.

Brad Thompson (2-4) took the loss for the Cardinals, who have lost five of six while scoring three or fewer runs in all of the setbacks.

Lincecum's three complete games have all come within his last four outings. The right-hander retired the first 14 in order before Rick Ankiel lofted a soft single to center with two outs in the fifth, then mowed down five more before Albert Pujols doubled off the left-field wall with one out in the seventh.

Pujols was the only runner to reach scoring position for the Cardinals, who have totaled two runs in two games since acquiring Mark DeRosa from the Indians.

Edgar Renteria's three-run double capped a five-run seventh as the Giants batted around against rookie Clayton Mortensen, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Memphis earlier in the day and made his major league debut. Only one of the runs was earned because of a throwing error by second baseman Skip Schumaker.

Juan Uribe added his second homer of the season, and third in 30 career at-bats at 4-year-old Busch Stadium, leading off the eighth off Mortensen.

Lincecum's eight strikeouts gave him the major league lead with 132 in 114 innings, and his 2.37 ERA is second in the NL. He's been nearly perfect in four starts against the Cardinals, winning all of them with a 1.61 ERA.

Over his last eight starts, he's 5-1 with a 1.27 ERA. He got an extra day of rest for this start and is 10-2 under that scenario.

Bengie Molina's RBI single off Thompson in the first snapped an 0-for-12 slump, and Nate Schierholtz and Renteria singled with one out in the fourth ahead of Ishikawa's fifth homer of the season for a 4-0 cushion. Uribe's homer reached Big Mac Land in the third deck above the left-field wall.

Thompson, who has faltered a bit in his bid to stay in the rotation when Kyle Lohse returns from a forearm strain, allowed four runs in six innings.

NOTES: Lincecum threw his first career two-hitter Sept. 18, 2008 at Arizona. ... Giants manager Bruce Bochy said rookie Ryan Sadowski, who worked six scoreless innings against the Brewers for his first career victory Sunday, earned a spot in the rotation. Sadowski replaced Jonathan Sanchez. ... Mortensen is the eighth Cardinals player to make his major league debut this season, and 14th rookie. ... The Giants have homered in five straight games, totaling eight. ... The Giants haven't committed an error in a season-high nine games.

[Associated Press; By R.B. FALLSTROM]

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