Shea: Lincecum a hero in relief

Lincecum outpitches Leake, Zito.

The dismal regular-season numbers are in the record book for all time. The 15 losses and 5.18 ERA can’t be erased. But they’re a lot easier to take for Tim Lincecum now that he has emerged as manager Bruce Bochy’s secret weapon.

“The whole year and all that stuff, it’s all behind him now,” Barry Zito said. “He’s the hero today.”  In the biggest start of Zito’s six-year Giants career, he got fewer outs than Lincecum, who came out of the bullpen to pitch 4 1/3 dazzling innings and help keep the Giants alive for a deciding Game 5 on Thursday.

In the 8-3 victory over the Reds, Lincecum retired 13 of 15 batters. He struck out six and walked none. Of his 55 pitches, 42 were strikes. He earned a win when the Giants needed one the most. His claim to fame is as a starter, and suddenly he’s Bochy’s most valuable reliever.