When the worst pitcher in baseball takes on the worst team in baseball, something’s got to give. The worst team gave.

You get the point. Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum had the worst earned run average of anyone who counted, and the Houston Astros, who really don’t count, had the worst record in the majors. And Lincecum shut them out over eight innings before coming out of the game.

Santiago Casilla blew the save after that. What’s going on with Casilla is a whole other story, blissfully not related to the subject matter of this column. The Giants won 3-2 in 12 innings, but Lincecum didn’t get the decision.

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