72
AP
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum pitches in the ninth inning of his no hitter over the San Diego Padres in a baseball game in San Diego
SAN FRANCISCO >> Tim Lincecum’s no-hitter last weekend at San Diego provided a rare first-half highlight for the stumbling San Francisco Giants. The coaching staff received a short reprieve from all the problems facing the club as the National League All-Star staff in New York.
Now, the defending World Series champions must get back to work in a hurry if they want to hang around in an NL West that is still wide open. The first-place Arizona Diamondbacks are in town for a three-game series starting Friday night to kick off the second half.
At 50-45, Arizona leads the fourth-place Giants (43-51) by 6½ games — so this series will be important for both clubs. Arizona will look to separate, while San Francisco hopes to gain ground in a tight division.
