re happy with the way we battled there at the end

SAN FRANCISCO -- Tim Lincecum pounded the strike zone with a consistency and confidence that looked a lot like The Freak of old. He only hopes this outing will carry into the next, and the one after that. Lincecum ended a three-start losing streak, Andres Torres hit a two-run homer and the San Francisco Giants beat Melky Cabrera and the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 on Tuesday night. "I was able to hit my spots more often and more consistently, mechanically I felt sound and things just kind of got better," Lincecum said. "It definitely feels good but weve still got a lot to do, a lot of work to do. Ive said it before, Im not jumping up and down right now, Im just happy with what we did today. Tomorrows another day for work." Cabrera had two hits in his return to AT&T Park with Toronto for the first time since his 50-game suspension for a positive testosterone test last Aug. 15. Lincecum (4-5) allowed Edwin Encarnacions first-inning solo home run, then retired the next 14 Blue Jays in order. Coming off his shortest outing of the year of 4 1-3 innings last Wednesday in a 9-6 loss to Oakland, Lincecum allowed three hits and one run, struck out six and walked one in seven impressive innings. "That is more the Timmy that we know," manager Bruce Bochy said. "We needed it." The Giants handed Josh Johnson (0-2) a loss in his return from the disabled list. Torres connected for his second homer in the second, and he also made a couple of nice catches in left field behind Lincecum. The struggling right-hander looked more like his old self after losing four of five starts and five of his last six decisions -- in which he had allowed 27 earned runs in 42 1-3 innings for a 5.74 ERA. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner quickly regrouped after Encarancions 17th home run and found a groove. Cabrera apologized to the Giants and their fans during a dugout news conference before the game. He was eligible to return for the NL championship series, but the Giants decided in late September 2012 to keep him off the post-season roster the entire way. Cabrera, the 2012 All-Star game MVP who produced a 51-hit May last year, received his World Series ring when the Giants visited Toronto last month. Booed -- with no sign of the "Melk Men" who used to cheer him -- by the sellout crowd of 41,981 each time he stepped into the batters box. "They have their reasons to do what they did. I just play my game," Cabrera said. Cabrera went 2 for 4 with a leadoff single in the first and another base hit in the sixth but flied out with the tying run at first for the first out in the ninth. "A guy like that, when youre getting boos, you know its for a reason," Lincecum said. "He was a good player for us, and now hes not, so youre going to hear that here." The Blue Jays missed a chance in the sixth. With Johnson aboard on a walk and at second following Cabreras single, Jose Bautista hit into his second double play of the game with a liner to Pablo Sandoval at third base. Sandoval fired to second and Marco Scutaro made the play but dropped the ball as he tumbled forward, bringing Blue Jays manager John Gibbons out to argue. Lincecum, knocked out of his only other start against the Blue Jays after 3 2-3 innings in 2007, pumped his fist as he walked off the mound. The pitchers recent problems raised speculation of a possible move to the bullpen like the one last fall that was so successful for the clubs run to a second World Series championship in three years. Jeremy Affeldt pitched the eighth and Sergio Romo finished for his 16th save in 18 chances to end the 2-hour, 16-minute game. It was the Giants fastest game of the year. The Blue Jays snapped a three-game losing streak with Sundays win at San Diego, but dropped their seventh in 11 overall Tuesday and ninth of 13 on the road. Johnson looked strong in his fifth start of the year and first back from since being sidelined April 22 with right triceps inflammation. He struck out six in seven innings and didnt walk a batter, but dropped to 0-4 in eight career starts against the Giants. "We missed him," Gibbons said of Johnson. "You watch a performance like that, thats what Josh Johnson is. And then Lincecum, we got on the board in the first and he did a heck of a job of shutting us down." Sandoval was back in the Giants lineup after missing three games with a strain in his left foot, while centre fielder and leadoff hitter Angel Pagan sat out for the ninth straight game with a strained left hamstring. But Sandoval was replaced late in the game by Joaquin Arias. The plan had been for him to play six or seven innings, and Bochy said Sandoval was a little bit sore but should be available Wednesday afternoon. NOTES: Lincecum had been 0-4 in his previous five interleague outings. ... Toronto also activated OF Rajai Davis from the DL and he grounded into an inning-ending double play as a pinch-hitter in the eighth against his former team. Fellow ex-Giant Mark DeRosa had a pinch-hit single. ... The Blue Jays are 5-5 vs. the NL West and fell to 1-6 all-time at AT&T Park. ... An MRI on injured Toronto pitcher Ramon Ortizs right elbow showed no significant damage after the 40-year-old righty was hurt Sunday at San Diego. ... The Giants beat the Blue Jays for just the second time in the last seven meetings after struggling with the bouncy turf in Toronto in ugly 10-6 and 11-3 losses May 14-15. Eric Bledsoe Jersey . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Wholesale Bucks Jerseys .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. https://www.cheapbucksonline.com/ . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca. Brian Winters Jersey . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. Jason Terry Jersey . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. The Carolina Hurricanes are taking a four-game winning streak built at home on the road Tuesday when they play the Toronto Maple Leafs.The road has been a challenge for the Hurricanes this season. They are 2-3-4 in away games while the Maple Leafs are 7-2-0 at Air Canada Centre.This game that were playing right now can go on the road and win, Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said. Its a good team game. Its four lines deep.Carolina will find out how much it has improved after starting the season slowly. The game against Toronto is the opener of a three-game trip and starts a stretch of nine games of its next 11 on the road.If we continue to play the way weve been playing, we all know we can play with anybody in this league, said defenseman Noah Hanifin, who scored a goal in the 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.The Hurricanes lost the opener of a five-game homestand 4-2 to the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 10 before defeating the Washington Capitals, the San Jose Sharks, the Montreal Canadiens and the Jets.Its fun to win, Hurricanes center Jeff Skinner said. Guys come to the rink, and everyone is contributing. You can take pride in that and build on the confidence in our game. Weve talked about it a lot, but this homestand was big for us. We wanted to pick up as many points as we could. We did a good job tonight closing it out, and now our job is to take it on the road and continue that brand of hockey weve been building towards.The Hurricanes will not catch the Maple Leafs by surprise.I dont need to be reminded, I watch the league pretty close, Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. I have a pretty good handle on that. I watched (Carolina) last night, too, and thought they were outstanding. It will be really tight tomorrow, they can really skate, they have a goood, young team, the back end moves and the goalie (Cam Ward) is playing well.dddddddddddd So well have our hands full.Ward had a 1.41 goals-against average on the five-game homestand and a .947 save percentage.But every team in the league is taking drastic steps so our guys have to take big steps and you have to have the youth growth as well, Babcock said. Not only do they have to be better structurally as a team, they have to get better as players.The Maple Leafs are coming off a 2-1 loss to the Canadiens in Montreal on Saturday and are expected to use the same lineup on Tuesday.I think were happy with the way we battled there at the end, Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said. We were right there the whole game, one shot difference. To hang around that long and keep it that close is good, but at the end of the day you want to be able to get one at the end to tie it up and get the point, maybe two. Moving forward theres some positives we can take away from it, but that being said, after a loss, theres always stuff you can build off.Our young guys have got to figure out youre not scoring off the rush, youve got to score off the cycle, Babcock said. Its a harder game in the National Hockey League and youve got to dig in.Carolina assigned defenseman Ryan Murphy to the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League for a conditioning stint. Murphy, 23, has one assist in four games with the Hurricanes this season.Leafs left winger Josh Leivo was back with the Maple Leafs for Mondays practice after a conditioning stint with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. Babcock said he is not quite ready to return from a lower body injury. ' ' '