Cain, Lincecum, Johnson fuel each other

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum are engaged in a friendly competition when it comes to their success with the San Francisco Giants.

"I've got to stay ahead of him," Cain said with a smile. "He finds ways to do it. I've got to tell him to slow down so I can catch up to him in innings."

These two, both 10-2 heading into the second half, are a big reason surprising San Francisco holds the NL wild-card lead with the second-best record behind the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

They are at the top of a talented pitching rotation. Injured left-hander Randy Johnson won his 300th game last month, then Jonathan Sanchez threw an improbable no-hitter last Friday night against San Diego.

Both Cain and Lincecum - with 2.38 and 2.33 ERAs, respectively - were supposed to be All-Stars together this week. But Cain injured his elbow during his start Saturday and was replaced on the NL roster. Still, it marked the first time since Hall of Famers Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry in 1966 that two Giants' starters have been named to the Midsummer Classic.

The shaggy-haired Lincecum, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner who started for the NL on Tuesday night in St. Louis, jams through the clubhouse to the blaring music he chooses on the sound system. He moves to the beat in his clubhouse chair before a start or chomps an ice cream bar for fuel. He doesn't ice his arm afterward.

Cain, on the other hand, typically stays to himself on the other side of the room. They'd have to shout to communicate from such a distance. Their pitching is taking care of itself.

The health of these pitchers will be a big factor in the second half as the Giants try to make a playoff push following a five-year drought and four straight losing seasons.

Cain's bruised elbow wasn't considered serious, but it's unclear how long it will take for the 45-year-old Johnson to return from a strained throwing shoulder.

"The break's always a challenging time for a coach," pitching coach Dave Righetti said. "You never know what you're going to get when they come back."

Sanchez, for one, appears to be back on track after pitching the majors' first no-hitter of 2009, seemingly poised to turn things around after a rough first half. He'll certainly be more attractive to other teams leading up to the trading deadline, too.

"Wow, I can't believe he did that," Righetti said. "With Cain coming up with a lot of fanfare and Timmy doing what he did, there's some pressure. There's a burden you carry when you have some talent."

Even Johnson has been as happy as can be this season - at least before the injury landed him on the disabled list last week.

It's not just because he recently became the 24th and newest member of the 300 club. Or because he's back home in the Bay Area.

Johnson is loving watching these young pitchers do well, feeding off that.

"He's been so good for them, and I'm sure it works the other way, too," manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's got so much pride. He didn't come here just to win 300. He's pitching well. It's incredible at his age what he's doing."

The Big Unit's move from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Giants not far from his hometown of Livermore has been the right one so far for many reasons.

Those back problems are no longer ailing him the way they did during recent years. The pressure of playing in pinstripes is long gone, too. And San Francisco is in the hunt, the reason he came here in the first place - to help turn this franchise back into a winner.

"I'm enjoying this year as much as any year I've ever enjoyed," he said before getting hurt on July 5.

While he's not ready to talk seriously of the postseason, Johnson sees the Giants doing a lot of things right.

Padres manager Bud Black isn't surprised they're in the thick of it.

"I think you could see it from the pitching side start to come together last year with a guy winning the Cy Young and Cain," Black said. "He was a victim of low run support for a number of years. Service time and experience is a big teacher. ... They put together a pitching staff that's poised to do a lot of good things."

If San Francisco keeps this up, it very well could be the contender new owner Bill Neukom thought the team would be. And the job security of general manager Brian Sabean and Bochy might not be in question anymore.

The Giants haven't reached the playoffs since 2003.

A pennant race would be perfect for Johnson, who hasn't said what his post-2009 plans will be.

"That's why I came here," Johnson said. "Some of these young kids are going to find out what it's all about. This team hasn't finished .500 in five years.

Everybody can see how the pitchers feed off each other, and Barry Zito also will be looking to establish some consistency after the break.

"I think regardless of age, awards or past, these guys need to drive each other," infielder Rich Aurilia said. "Randy's 45, but he's as competitive as there is. We're only going to see more of that."