Lincecum roughed up in return from bronchitis

MESA, Ariz. " Tim Lincecum gave up a first-pitch home run to Alfonso Soriano, and it did not get much better after that.

Lincecum, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, gave up four runs and seven hits in 3.2 innings before San Francisco recovered for an 8-6 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday in front of a HoHoKam Park spring training-record crowd of 13,024.

"It wasn't a good effort. I'd say that was pretty sub-par for me," said Lincecum, pitching with a touch of the bronchitis that forced him to be pushed back from a scheduled start Monday. "It was more of an energy issue. It's hard to get back to 100 percent and get a rhythm."

San Francisco prospect Nick Noonan hit a two-out grand slam in the top of the ninth inning, marking the second straight day the Giants hit a game-winning homer in the ninth.

Micah Hoffpauir tripled in a run and scored on Mike Fontenot's single in the Cubs three-run first inning off Lincecum, who also walked four. Lincecum had not given up an earned run in three previous spring starts.

"He was a little rusty, and it showed," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster pitched five scoreless innings to drop his spring ERA 1.38. He gave up four singles and struck out four.

"The ball was coming out nice. I seemed to get ahead quite a bit today, and the hits they were getting were ahead-in-the-count type of hits. I had a good slider, good life on my ball," Dempster said. "I feel good. I feel strong."

Soriano and Mike Fontenot had two hits for the Cubs. Fontenot is hitting. 391

Giants nonroster invitee Jesus Guzman continued his pursuit of a roster spot with two hits, including a home run.

Guzman homered for the second straight game and leads the Giants with four homers and is tied for the league lead with 11 RBIs. He played first base Wednesday and also has played third base and left field.

Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval was struck in the mouth on a bad-hop grounder hit by Joey Gathright in the fifth inning and was forced to leave the game.

Sandoval wears braces, and both his top and bottom lip were pushed into the braces.

"It implanted his lips to his braces. (Trainer) Dave Groeschner had to pull his lips off," Bochy said.

Sandoval, the Giants top candidate to start at third base while getting a crash course there this season, also chipped a tooth and was set to see a dentist.

"That's a hard infield, like a lot of these are in the desert, and it just came up on him," Bochy said.

Sandoval, hitting .450, is likely to miss the next two games, Bochy said.

Notes: Randy Johnson (biceps soreness) is scheduled to pitch again Monday, Bochy said, although it has not been determined if it will be against Seattle or in a minor league game. Johnson, 1-1 with a 1.08 ERA in 8 1-3 innings this spring, was originally scheduled to pitch Wednesday. "It's all good. It is nothing structurally (wrong) with him," Bochy said. ... Cubs 3B Corey Koskie, attempting to return after missing the last 2 1/2 seasons with post-concussion syndrome, singled as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, his second hit in three spring at-bats. Koskie suffered a concussion in a July 5, 2006 game for Milwaukee against Cincinnati.