Giants Win One For Us

I was out of a computer for a few days, so I wasn't able to blog about Still Orange & Black's first game of the year, last Thursday in San Diego. I went to two games at Petco Park last year. In the first, Matt Cain took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, only to give up a run and lose 1-0. Two nights later, Greg Maddux silenced the Giants' bats for a 4-0 win. So going into Thursday's game, I was really only hoping for a run.

This was my first time seeing Tim Lincecum live in action, and he did not disappoint, striking out the side in the first inning. He was not always sharp, walking five and throwing 122 pitches in 6.1 innings. But Lincecum proving that he doesn't always need great command to be successful, as he didn't allow a run and finished with nine strikeouts. The bullpen did great work, especially Jack Taschner, who got out of a bases load, one-out jam to preserve a lead.

We have started to doubt whether Rich Aurilia belongs in a major league lineup, even this one. But we have made no secret of our loyalty to him, so it was a thrill to see him hit his first home run of the year, which turned out to be the only run of the game. It reminded me of a game I went to in 2000, when Aurilia hit a 2-run homer off Greg Maddux and the Giants beat the Braves 2-0 behind a Livan Hernandez shutout.

I was somewhat surprised with the attendance in San Diego, which came in at just around 26,000. I guess they really miss Barry Bonds. In addition, their garlic fries are not nearly as good as the ones at AT&T Park. But in the end, I got my run, and better yet, I got a win.