Lincecum's latest gem leads San Francisco Giants past Milwaukee Brewers, 4-1

SAN FRANCISCO — The only thing that stopped Tim Lincecum from throwing his second complete game this season was a tiny blister forming on his middle finger.

Nearly a month after his first career no-hitter, Lincecum pitched another gem. The right-hander allowed only one hit over eight scoreless innings to lead the San Francisco Giants past the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1 Thursday.

"I think I'm just trying to stay within myself," Lincecum said, adding that he relied on his overhand curve more than he had in any start this year. "I know I'm not going to throw a 95 mph fastball anymore, so why try to throw it? I guess I got to use what I got and get outs."

Brandon Belt hit a three-run homer in the first inning off Donovan Hand (0-4). And Marco Scutaro and Brandon Crawford added three hits apiece to give Lincecum more than enough support.

The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner had been 0-2 in three starts since throwing 148 pitches in his no-hitter at San Diego on July 13.

Lincecum (6-11) permitted just a double to Juan Francisco leading off the third inning. He struck out eight and walked one before getting pulled for a pinch-hitter.

The former ace gave the defending World Series champions another rare reprieve from a frustrating season for the second time in a month by following up a pregame meeting called by manager Bruce Bochy with a vintage performance.

Khris Davis doubled off reliever Sandy Rosario in the ninth and scored on Jean Segura's single against Sergio Romo, who recorded the final two outs.

San Francisco had lost four of its previous five games in the latest skid during a summer-long slide from champions to cellar-dwellers in the NL West.

With a postcard-like day along the bay, the Giants showed some heart and hustle from the start. And Lincecum provided the rest to give the club a brief break from a frustration season.

"It kind of reminded us what we're capable of," Belt said.

Scutaro singled on the 11th pitch leading off the first and Crawford followed by diving head-first into second for a double. After Pablo Sandoval flied out, Belt hit his 12th home run of the season.

"Overall, well-played game. Just crisp," Bochy said. "I thought they just had a different look today."

Hand, who allowed seven hits and four walks in five innings, had not given up more than three runs in any of his previous six starts this season. With Lincecum in complete command, Brewers batters kept him winless.

"He's a two-time Cy Young Award winner. He's got it in him and he showed that today," Hand said. "It stinks it had to be against me."

About the only highlights from the Brewers came from a pair of sensational catches by Carlos Gomez in center field. He ran to his right, made a dive and tumbled twice on the ground afterward on Belt's looping liner in the fourth. Gomez also ran down Sandoval's fly near the 421-foot marker in right-center to end the second.

But one big swing from Belt was all Lincecum needed.

Lincecum said the blister is not an issue moving forward, and it certainly didn't seem to effect his stuff. He faced just three hitters in six of his eight innings.

Francisco's liner skipped to the wall in right for a double in the third. Lincecum later got Gomez to lose his helmet striking out on a breaking ball in the seventh, and he received a standing ovation from the announced sellout crowd of 41,219 when he walked off the mound in the eighth.

"You could see it from the first pitch," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "He was free with his delivery. We hit one ball hard against him."