San Francisco @ Florida preview
Sun Life Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jul 8, 2009 ) Florida 7, San Francisco 0
Hanley Ramirez is starting to get his power stroke back. Unfortunately, now he has to face Tim Lincecum.
Ramirez and Lincecum will square off on Tuesday when the Florida Marlins open a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants.
The 2009 National League batting champion, Ramirez watched his batting average dip to .279 with a slugging percentage of .395 on April 30 after a 3-for-21 slump. But as the calendar turned, so did the 26-year-old's performance, as Ramirez abused the Washington Nationals pitching staff in leading the Marlins to wins on Saturday and Sunday.
Ramirez went 6-for-9 with three homers and seven RBIs - doubling his season RBI total and bumping his home run total to five. The surge brought his slugging percentage to a more Ramirez-like .526 as well.
The one part of his game that has yet to show itself this season is speed, with Ramirez managing just two steals while being caught twice. The All-Star swiped 27 bags in 2009 and 35 in 2008.
Lincecum has been on all season and shows no signs of slowing down. Winner of the past two NL Cy Young awards, Lincecum leads the league with 43 strikeouts to go along with his 4-0 record and 1.27 ERA.
The 25-year-old right-hander struck out a season-high 11 last Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies, while allowing two runs and three hits in 8 1/3 innings, but failed to factor in the decision. Lincecum has yet to allow more than six hits or two runs in a start and has issued only seven walks in 35 1/3 innings.
He has only faced Florida once in his career, allowing two runs on three hits in 7 1/3 innings to earn a win last May. Lincecum easily handled Ramirez in the outing, holding him without a hit in three at-bats, including a strikeout.
Lincecum leads a staff that is crucial to San Francisco's success. With an offense that ranks last in the NL West in runs scored and doesn't promise to get much better, Lincecum, Matt Cain, Barry Zito and company are charged with helping the Giants keep pace in the division.
The offense let the club down on Sunday, managing just for hits in a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies.
San Francisco will be trying to hit right-hander Anibal Sanchez at the start of Tuesday's contest. The 26-year-old Sanchez struck out a season-high seven last week against the San Diego Padres but took the loss, surrendering three runs in 6 1/3 frames.
He has never face the Giants.