The image is hard to shake.
It’s the image of San Francisco ace Tim Lincecum looking uncomfortable on the mound, his body slumped over and his head shaking.
By any measure, Lincecum is off to one of the greatest starts of any career. He’s won back-to-back National League Cy Young Awards in his first full two seasons. He has started an All-Star Game.
He is “The Freak.” But against the Rockies, he’s just Tim — solid but not breathtaking.
Colorado’s success against the right-hander continued in a 6-3 victory Friday night before a sellout crowd at Coors Field.
The right-hander is 43-16 with a 2.85 ERA versus the rest of the league. Against the Rockies, he’s 5-5 with a 3.79 ERA.
“I wish I could explain, but I can’t,” said Clint Barmes, who hit one of Lincecum’s worst mistakes, a hanging breaking ball, into the left-field seats for his seventh home run. “It’s obviously great for us.”
The fans were drawn by the fireworks. Their loudest cheers, however, were reserved for a percolating offense and Jonathan Herrera’s eighth-inning squeeze bunt. It was another example of a lineup that is gaining traction as the Rockies make a strong push into the all-star break.
They sit six games over .500 for the first time all season, with the midway point arriving tonight.
“This is the time of season where you begin to define who you are,” closer Huston Street said. “We are starting to play our best baseball.”
“We are six over now. The next increment is 10 games over .500,” manager Jim Tracy said. “That’s the mind-set you have to have if you want to be a championship-caliber club.”
Even without Brad Hawpe (ribs) and Todd Helton (back), the offense is purring. Dexter Fowler (3-for-3, two walks) has been a catalytic force and his situational at-bats are improving (4-for-14 with runners in scoring position).
Herrera’s bunt widened the Rockies’ lead to three runs — “I like being in that position, it’s exciting,” he said — assuring a win for rookie Jhoulys Chacin (5-7).
By then Lincecum (8-4) was long gone, left to wonder why the Rockies have his number. He said afterward that he’s still working through some minor mechanical issues and admitted his breaking ball didn’t have the same bite at altitude.
Still, Lincecum had a chance to escape a loss in the sixth after Aubrey Huff’s second home run tied the score 3-3. But after loading the bases on back-to-back walks to Brad Hawpe and Fowler, Lincecum ran into a tough out with Herrera.
“He’s at his best in action situations,” Tracy said.
Herrera, who has commandeered the second-base job with his nifty glove and steady bat, worked the count before floating a sacrifice fly for the go-ahead run.
Colorado erased an early two-run deficit created by Huff’s two-run home run thanks to Barmes’ latest blast. He is 29-for-88 with a team-high 17 RBIs since June 1.
Chacin settled down after the first, making a critical adjustment by throwing his off-speed pitches earlier in the count.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
He’s become Sigh Young
Including Friday’s game, Giants ace Tim Lincecum is now 5-5 with a 3.79 ERA against the Rockies. A look at his last five starts against Colorado:
Date IN H R ER K BB Dec.
2010
July 2 6 9 4 4 4 4 L, 6-3
May 31 5.2 6 4 3 3 5 L, 4-0
2009
Sept. 14 7 6 1 1 11 4 W, 9-1
Aug. 28 8 4 0 0 8 3 W, 2-0
Aug. 23 7 3 3 3 7 5 L, 4-2
Source:
Looking ahead
TODAY: Giants at Rockies, 6:10 p.m., FSN
Ubaldo Jimenez (14-1, 1.83 ERA) worked five no-hit innings against San Diego before stumbling in the sixth in his second consecutive start. Jimenez has not lost at home since Sept. 26, a streak spanning seven starts. He is 7-1 against the National League West this season. Pablo Sandoval is one of only two of the 115 batters who have faced Jimenez this season to collect three hits in a game. Barry Zito (7-4, 3.43) has cooled a bit since a wicked start. But he has always enjoyed success against the Rockies, going 5-2 with a 1.95 ERA and .193 average against. Dexter Fowler is 4-for-12 with two doubles against the left-hander.
Upcoming pitching matchups
Sunday: Giants’ Matt Cain (6-7, 2.93 ERA) at Rockies’ Jason Hammel (6-3, 4.32), 1:10 p.m., FSN
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Cardinals’ Jeff Suppan (0-4, 6.44) at Rockies’ Jeff Francis (2-3, 4.67), 6:40 p.m., FSN
Wednesday: Cardinals’ Blake Hawksworth (2-5, 5.02) at Rockies’ Aaron Cook (3-5, 4.66), 6:40 p.m., FSN
