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SF@OAK: Lincecum strike out eight over six innings

It's been way too long since Tim Lincecum felt what it's like to get a win.

The Giants right-hander last got a victory on April 28 against the Padres, a span of nine starts in which he's managed to go 0-6.

However, Lincecum looked like a two-time Cy Young Award winner at the end of his last outing against the A's. While the right-hander surrendered three runs in the first inning, he no-hit Oakland in the next five frames to finish with the no-decision.

"I felt like I got mad in the right way," said Lincecum, who threw 43 pitches in the first inning and 44 over the next four. "... When things are going rough, the first emotion that comes up is probably upset at yourself, then ashamed and then [angry]. I just tried to channel that madness, I guess you could say, out on the field."

He'll try to build off those five innings as the Giants look to sweep the Dodgers on Wednesday in San Francisco and move into a tie with their rival atop the National League West.

In the Giants' way will be Chad Billingsley, who is trying to snap a two-game losing streak.

Despite a five-run cushion after two innings in his last outing against the Angels, Billingsley fumbled the lead and took his sixth loss of the season. In the outing, he surrendered a season-high six runs on 10 hits.

Unable to find any consistency this season, the right-hander's ups and downs are evident in his four starts during June. Billingsley combined to give up just two runs on eight hits in 14 innings for two wins to begin the month, but surrendered 11 runs on 18 hits in 11 innings of work in his last two starts.

"It's really a matter of he's got to be able to execute and get the ball where he wants," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "You have to stop the bleeding, slow yourself down and make quality pitches and manage those innings and not let it snowball."

Dodgers: Hatcher hired as special assistant to GM
Los Angeles hired former Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher as a special assistant to general manager Ned Coletti, the team announced Tuesday.

Hatcher's role will include helping with player development and assisting the Major League staff.

"It's a great feeling being a Dodger again. It feels like I've come back home," Hatcher said. "This is where my roots were and where I was taught everything about the game and where I learned about professionalism. I'm excited about the opportunity to meet everyone in the organization and about the energy created by the new ownership. I couldn't be happier right now."

Hatcher was dismissed by the Angels on May 15. He spent two stints with the Dodgers during his 12-year Major League career, including a heroic fill-in role on the 1988 championship team when he hit .368 (7-for-19) with two homers, five RBIs and five runs scored in five games.

Giants: Huff making progress
Aubrey Huff took light batting practice and played catch before Tuesday's game against the Dodgers, saying his sprained knee is almost recovered to the point where he can begin running again.

Huff injured his right knee during the postgame celebration for Matt Cain's June 13 perfect game. The injury came after Huff's disabled-list stint from April 25 to May 7 with an anxiety disorder.

"It's almost hilarious for me right now," Huff said. "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong."

Worth noting
• Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis has reached base safely in 53 of 59 games this season.

• Dodgers first baseman Juan Rivera is batting .360 (9-for-25) on the current road trip.

• The Giants teamed with 15 of their biggest Twitter supporters to hold a "Super Tuesday" voting event during Tuesday's game against the Dodgers to help support Giants players in All-Star Game voting. The club invited 15 fans who had tweeted about how much they've been voting for Giants players to come to an AT&T Park conference room that was decorated to be the "Campaign Headquarters." The participants were provided with computers to vote as many times as they could throughout Tuesday's game.

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