Lincecum Fans 12 as Giants Slip Past Minnesota, 2-1

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 23, 2011

American League

There were four interleague games on Thursday, and the National Leaguers won them all, limiting their AL opponents to just five runs, so there was no AL Player of the Day.

National League

How do you stay in the race in the NL West?

Tim Lincecum

Simple. Put Tim Lincecum on the mound and let him do his thing, which is exactly what the San Francisco Giants did Thursday afternoon, and Lincecum surely didn't disappoint, hurling seven innings of shutout ball at the Twins in a 2-1 win for the Giants, their second straight against the previously-streaking Twins.

The 2008 and 2009 NL Cy Young award winner stopped the Twins cold, allowing just three hits and two walks while fanning 12. Lincecum struck out six straight form the 4th through 6th innings, including the side in order in the 5th. He has 113 strikeouts on the year, currently good for 4th in the NL.

Minnesota pushed across a run in the 9th off closer Brian Wilson, who picked up his 21st save.

Lincecum improved to 6-6, and the Giants remained 1/2 game behind the Diamondbacks in the division race.

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: The four wins by the National League cut the AL lead down to just two, with the score now 64 for the American and 62 for the National. With a full slate on tap for the weekend, anything can happen, though neither league can claim dominance at this point.