A Little More to Cheer About

The Giants played split-squad games against the Cubs and Mariners on Friday, beating Chicago 8-6 while losing to Seattle 5-3. The loss, however, was somewhat more newsworthy than the victory. Tim Lincecum showed some early swagger, throwing 2.2 scoreless innings. The offense also knocked new Mariner ace Erik Bedard around for three runs in the second inning. Of particular interest was the play of Travis Denker, acquired in the Mark Sweeney trade. Denker started at second base and picked up a couple hits and an RBI. I wouldn't be surprised if Denker saw saw playing time in the big leagues later this year. Unfortunately the offense couldn't generate any more runs the rest of the game, and the bullpen blew the early lead, with Scott Williamson and Randy Messenger giving up two runs each.

In the victory over the Cubs, most of the offense came from no-names. Outfielder Eddy Martinez-Esteve hit a game-tying homer in the seventh, and outfielder Ryan Rohlinger hit a grand slam to put the Giants ahead in the eighth. Eugenio Velez continued to make a case for a roster spot, going 2-3 with two stolen bases and two runs scored. A day after Kevin Correia got lit up by the Cubs, Jonathan Sanchez didn't fair much better. The lefty allowed three runs in the first inning on three hits and two walks. If Correia and Sanchez continue to perform poorly, perhaps Pat Misch could steal the fifth starter's spot. Misch threw two shutout innings against Seattle, striking out three.

Tomorrow: Barry Zito makes his Spring debut against the A's.