Dodgers beat Tim Lincecum again, this time 6-2

By Steve Dilbeck

May 9, 2012 12 AM PT

This is tough way to go, not that anyone around Chavez Ravine is complaining. Tim Lincecum keeps pitching very well against the Dodgers and keeps losing.

That’s a difficult combo to pull off, but the Giants’ two-time Cy Young winner has been pulling it off with great regularity.

Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, Lincecum stumbled for one inning, and it led to a 6-2 Dodgers victory before an announced crowd of 33,993.

In his last six starts against the Dodgers, Lincecum has a 2.52 ERA -- and is 0-4.

Lincecum has been having issues well beyond the Dodgers this season (2-3, 5.89 ERA) but seemed in control early Wednesday.

With Chad Billingsley struggling with his command, the Giants opened an early 2-0 lead.

They scored once in the second as Billingsley struggled with his control. He walked Nate Schierholtz, who was thrown out attempting to steal by catcher A.J. Ellis. Ellis has now thrown out 45 percent (9 of 20) of would-be base stealers.

But Billingsley then walked Joaquin Arias, who was quickly advanced to third by a Brandon Crawford single to bring up Lincecum. The lanky right-hander sent a bouncer in the hole that struggling shortstop Dee Gordon fielded; he tried to stop and plant his feet before throwing but was late to first. Arias scored on the infield single.

San Francisco went up, 2-0, in the third after Melky Cabrera tripled, the ball ricocheting off the wall and past Matt Kemp, running carefully with his tender hamstring. Buster Posey singled Cabrera home.

It remained a 2-0 Giants lead until the bottom of the fourth when Andre Ethier led off with a double and took third on a base hit by Bobby Abreu. Juan Uribe hit a bouncer down the line that Arias fielded, but in the process, he slipped and fell, and Ethier scored.

A Lincecum wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third before A.J. Ellis walked. With the bases loaded, one out and Billingsley struggling and already at 85 pitches, manager Don Mattingly elected to pinch hit for him in the fourth inning.

Tony Gwynn Jr. made it look like genius, lining a bases-clearing triple. The three RBIs were one more than he’d had all season.

Lincecum left after the fifth, having allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks. He struck out eight.

The Dodgers added a run in the sixth when A.J. Ellis tripled for the second time of his career and pinch-hitter Scott Van Slyke, just called up that afternoon and making his major-league debut, drove a broken-bat single into center off Travis Blackley.

The Dodgers added a final run in the eighth when Uribe blooped a double and scored on a James Loney single.

The Dodgers received scoreless relief from Jamey Wright (2-2), Ronald Belisario, Josh Lindblom and Kenley Jansen.

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Dodgers beat Tim Lincecum again, this time 6-2