Giants ace Tim Lincecum pitches 8 innings to beat Astros for 3rd time this season, 3-1

Lincecum throws 8 innings, Giants top Astros again

HOUSTON — Tim Lincecum outpitched Roy Oswalt in a matchup of National League aces, and the San Francisco Giants managed just enough offense for a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.

It was San Francisco’s seventh straight victory over Houston this season and Lincecum’s third of the year against the struggling Astros. He improved to 5-0 in eight career outings against them.

Lincecum (8-2) allowed seven hits and no earned runs over eight innings while striking out seven and walking two. Brian Wilson pitched a perfect ninth for his 20th save in 22 chances.

Juan Uribe scored when Pablo Sandoval grounded into a forceout in the seventh to put the Giants ahead 2-1. San Francisco tied it at 1 earlier in the inning on an RBI single by Pat Burrell. Aubrey Huff singled and Uribe walked before Burrell’s hit.

Oswalt (5-9) yielded six hits and two runs with five strikeouts in seven innings.

Houston prospect Jason Castro, a catcher selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft, made his major league debut. With the season not going as they’d hoped, the Astros brought up Castro and fellow rookies Chris Johnson, a third baseman, and Jason Bourgeois, an outfielder, from the minors this week.

But the future of the Astros didn’t change much in the present Tuesday as the team lost its fifth straight.

Johnson committed an error in the ninth inning when he overthrew first base on a ball hit by Freddy Sanchez that allowed him to advance to second. Sanchez scored on a single by Nate Schierholtz to make it 3-1.

Castro singled in his first career at-bat in the third, drawing loud cheers from the crowd. He scored on a double by Michael Bourn. Lincecum walked Jeff Keppinger, loading the bases, before Lance Berkman grounded into an inning-ending double play.

The Giants escaped the fifth inning unscathed despite committing two errors. The first came when Burrell’s throw from left field on a two-out single by Bourn was wide and Bourn advanced to second. Bourn took third when Lincecum overthrew second on a pickoff attempt, but the right-hander retired Keppinger to end the inning.

NOTES: Giants INF Mark DeRosa will have season-ending surgery to repair his injured left wrist. … San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said fifth starter Todd Wellemeyer, on the disabled list with a strained right quadriceps muscle, won’t be ready to return for a couple more weeks. … Bochy said Joe Martinez is scheduled to start Saturday against Boston. … Astros RHP Bud Norris, on the DL with biceps tendinitis, made his third rehabilitation start for Triple-A Round Rock. He allowed six hits in six shutout innings.