That's a lot of pitches that were missed

I don't know what's more amazing about Tim Lincecum's no-hitter against San Diego Saturday night -- the fact that Lincecum needed 148 pitches to shut down the Padres, or the fact that the Padres couldn't get a hit off a pitcher who threw 148 pitches.

Lincecum was hardly brilliant against San Diego. He walked four batters and needed a brilliant catch by Hunter Pence to preserve his first career no-no. By comparison, Cincinnati's Homer Bailey needed only 109 pitches to no-hit San Francisco 12 days earlier. Who was the Giants' starter that night? Tim Lincecum. Weird world.

However, it should be noted that Lincecum struck out 13 San Diego batters which -- combined with the 11 Ks he had in his previous outing Monday -- marks the first time since May 16 and 21, 2011 that he had back-to-back games with 10 or more strikeouts. That has to be regarded as a good sign for a pitcher who has struggled to regain his Cy Young Award-winning form.

Meanwhile, the Padres have come crashing back to earth since last reaching the .500 mark on June 28. Entering Sunday's game against the Giants, the Padres have lost 14 out of their last 15 games to sink back into the National League West basement. This stretch echoes their their 5-15 start in that they can't score runs when their pitchers do a good job, and their pitchers fall flat when their offense actually works. In other words, they are playing like a team destined for last place.

So, kudos to Tim Lincecum for adding a no-hitter to his resume -- even if it came at the San Diego Padres' expense.