San Francisco @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 2, 2014 ) San Francisco 2, Arizona 0

The San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum took a line drive off the knee in his final spring training start Friday and suffered a bout with food poisoning Tuesday, but said he's ready to face the Diamondbacks on Thursday in the finale of a four-game series in Arizona. Lincecum became ill during the Giants' 5-4 loss Tuesday and pitching coach Dave Righetti told the San Jose Mercury News on Wednesday, "There's a chance we could move him. He had a rough night." Lincecum, though, was "bouncing around like nothing happened,'' manager Bruce Bochy said later Wednesday and Lincecum called the illness "pretty mild.''

Bronson Arroyo is set to make his Diamondbacks' debut after signing a two-year, $23.5 million contract in February and overcoming a bulging disc in his back during spring training. San Francisco clinched at least a split of the four-game series when Tim Hudson pitched 7 2/3 solid innings in his Giants' debut in Wednesday's 2-0 victory. Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt extended his hitting streak to 24 games with his fourth double of the season.

TV: 3:40 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco), FSN Arizona

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants RH Tim Lincecum (2013: 10-14, 4.37 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks RH Bronson Arroyo (2013: 14-12, 3.79)

Lincecum posted a 5.79 ERA and allowed 28 hits in 23 1/3 innings in a typically poor spring training. The 29-year-old Bellevue, Wash., native and two-time National League Cy Young Award winner in 2008-09 hasn't recorded a winning season since 2010, but has made 32 or 33 starts in each of the last six years. Lincecum is 8-8 with a 3.49 ERA in 23 starts against Arizona - 1-0, 4.09 in two outings last season - and has struggled mightily against Goldschmidt (10-for-20, five homers, 11 RBIs).

Arroyo's injury raised eyebrows as the 37-year-old has never been on the disabled list and has pitched at least 178 2/3 innings for the last 10 years, including eight seasons of 200 or more. "There's never been a time in my baseball career I didn't think I was going to get out there on Day 5," Arroyo told USA Today, and his durability will be needed more than ever with ace Patrick Corbin out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery Tuesday. Arroyo is 5-5 with a 2.69 ERA in 14 appearances against the Giants - 2-0, 0.60 in two starts last season - but red-hot Brandon Belt (home runs in the first two games) is 4-for-7 with a homer against him.

WALK-OFFS

1. Goldschmidt's hitting streak is tied for the second-longest in club history with Tony Womack's, trailing only Luis Gonzalez' streak of 30 games.

2. Buster Posey went 2-for-4 on Wednesday is off to a 5-for-12 start.

3. Arizona 3B Martin Prado, batting cleanup behind Goldschmidt, is 3-for-21.

PREDICTION: Diamondbacks 3, Giants 2