(Sports Network) - The San Francisco Giants haven't lost consecutive games since late August, part of the reason they now lead the National League West.
The Giants will try to avoid a second straight defeat this evening behind the resurgent Tim Lincecum as they continue a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers at AT&T Park.
San Francisco hasn't tasted defeat in consecutive games since a three-game slide from Aug. 25-28, going 12-6 since to take a half-game edge over the Padres for first place in the NL West. They maintained that advantage despite Friday night's 3-0 loss to the Brewers.
Milwaukee's Randy Wolf threw his first shutout since Sept. 3, 2008, tossing a three-hitter for the ninth shutout of his career.
"The biggest thing for me was fastball command, getting ahead with my fastball and then able to expand a little bit with my off-speed pitches," Wolf said. "To come in and play in this [playoff] environment makes it a lot of fun."
Prince Fielder and Carlos Gomez each drove in a run for the Brewers, who picked up their second win in a row.
Jose Guillen, Cody Ross and Pat Burrell had San Francisco's three hits -- all singles -- and Madison Bumgarner took the loss after yielding two runs over 5 2/3 innings as the Giants were shut out for the third time in six games.
"We just didn't do anything with the bats. [Bumgarner's] been throwing the ball well and he did tonight. We didn't play our best game tonight," said Giants skipper Bruce Bochy, whose club had won five of seven coming in.
Bochy turns tonight to Lincecum, who has put an awful August behind him and he looks to win a fourth start in a row this evening.
After going 0-5 with a 7.82 earned run average last month, Lincecum has rattled off three consecutive victories while posting a 2.08 ERA in that span. He allowed just one run over seven innings of his most recent triumph on Sunday versus the Padres.
"We have a team that's rolling right now behind me and scoring runs," said Lincecum. "The confidence is at an all-time high right now for this season coming off the month that I had."
The 26-year-old right-hander is 14-9 with a 3.60 ERA and 208 strikeouts over 30 starts and 192 1/3 innings. His season includes a victory over the Brewers on July 7 in which the two-time defending National League Cy Young Award winner held them to a run over seven frames with 10 strikeouts.
Lincecum is 2-2 with a 4.76 ERA in six career starts versus the Brewers.
Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo will try to make it two winning starts in a row after snapping a five-start winless streak (0-2) with a victory over the Cubs on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Gallardo gave up just four hits and three walks over seven scoreless innings, striking out six to record his first victory since Aug. 8. The right-hander improved to 12-7 with a 3.64 ERA in 28 starts.
"I went out there and just tried to follow the game plan," Gallardo said. "I was able to locate my fastball."
Gallardo, who won a career-best 13 games last year, is 3-2 with a 4.25 ERA in five career starts versus the Giants.
San Francisco swept a four-game series in Milwaukee from July 5-8 and has won seven of the past nine meetings between the ballclubs.