"By the third inning, Tim Lincecum's long locks were limp with perspiration. By the fifth, he had struck out 11 batters. But Tuesday night's 9-6, 12-inning victory on a steamy night in South Florida was more than a test of stamina for the Giants' waifish ace. It was an endurance exam for the entire team. The wacky night included two blown leads on three-run home runs by Hanley Ramirez (off Lincecum) and Dan Uggla (off Sergio Romo). It included a diving catch in center field by Aaron Rowand, and an even bigger save with the Giants down to their final out in the ninth. It included 20 strikeouts by Giants pitchers, just the third time they have assembled that many in the club's 53-year San Francisco era. And eventually, it included thumping music in the visiting clubhouse — even if the players were too weary to bounce along. "I knew a couple of our guys were running on empty," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "That's why I'm so proud of them." The bullpen blew Lincecum's victory for the second consecutive start, when Uggla victimized Romo in the eighth to give the Marlins a one-run lead. But with two out in the ninth, Rowand rescued the Giants with a solo homer to force extra innings. Aubrey Huff's two-run single in the 12th put them ahead. By the end, everyone was glistening, and the Giants just might have erased one of their biggest stigmas, too. For the first time in nearly two years, they won the opener of a trip outside the Pacific time zone. Unbelievably, the Giants had been winless in their previous 10 games while opening trips in the Central or Eastern time zone. Their last trip-opening victory east of the Rockies came in June 2008 at Kansas City. "Come on, no way," Bochy said. "But you know, for us, we've talked about it. It takes time to get acclimated. We're used to playing in the cool weather at home. That's what makes this one such a great effort. It didn't look good for us there." Not in the ninth. Marlins closer Leo Nunez had not allowed an earned run, and right-handed hitters were 0 for 17 against him before Rowand hit a first-pitch slider into the orange seats. It was the last of several game-changing long balls. Lincecum briefly retained a 3-0 lead in the sixth after Rowand's diving play took a potential two-run double away from Chris Coghlan. But Lincecum hung a first-pitch slider to Ramirez, who drove it beyond Rowand's boundaries to tie it." http://www.mercurynews.com/giants/ci_15019294
