"By any objective measure, Tim Lincecum threw his best game in an otherwise dismal June on Friday night. He might have lost to the A's , but for the first time in four starts, he largely did not look lost.

Perhaps he could not be objective when he surveyed a clubhouse full of downcast teammates after the Giants ' 5-2 loss. Yeah, he threw 94-mph fastballs, looked like his old self the later the game went and even made A's hitters look foolish at times.

In the end, he gave up more runs than Oakland's rookie starter, Graham Godfrey, and that hurt.

"It was better," Lincecum said of his night, "but at the same time, you can't guide yourself by what you did last time. I've got to battle and give our team a chance to win. I didn't do so. I had long innings, the first inning, and I got in jams. I can't afford to do that now."

Of the 113 pitches Lincecum threw, 25 came in the first, which included two of his five walks, plus two hits, but only one run, the first he has allowed in the first inning all season."