San Francisco @ Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 12, 2011 ) San Francisco 1, Florida 2

THE STORY: No one has felt the sting of the San Francisco Giants' feeble offense more than ace Tim Lincecum. The Giants have scored more than three runs only twice in his last 11 starts, a trend that seems unlikely to end given their recent performance. The slumping Giants, who have lost 11 of 14 and averaged 2.2 runs during that stretch, look for their first win in five games against the Florida Marlins this season when the teams continue a three-game series Saturday at Sun Life Stadium. The Giants have fallen two games behind first-place Arizona in the National League West.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CS Bay Area (San Francisco), FS Florida

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants RH Tim Lincecum (10-9, 2.69 ERA) vs. Marlins RH Javier Vazquez (7-9, 4.72).

Lincecum has won four of his last six starts, and he has posted quality starts in all six. He even managed to beat the red-hot Phillies twice over the past 2 1/2 weeks, including a 3-1 win Sunday in which he allowed one run over 7 2/3 innings. Lincecum has been solid in two starts against Florida, going 1-0 with a 3.14 ERA. After an awful start to the season, Vazquez has pitched better recently, posting quality starts in seven of his last eight outings. He couldn't be faulted for the Marlins' 8-4 loss against St. Louis on Sunday - he allowed four runs over six innings, but only one was earned. In 15 starts against the Giants, Vazquez is 5-7 with a 3.65 ERA, but he hasn't faced them since 2009 and hasn't beaten them since 2005.

ABOUT THE GIANTS (64-55): San Francisco has slipped behind Arizona in the NL West race thanks to its latest offensive outage. The Giants rank next-to-last in the majors with 408 runs, and they've been held to three runs or fewer a staggering 72 times, including seven of the past eight games. It hasn't helped that outfielder Carlos Beltran has missed the past four games with a strained right hand and wrist. The Giants hope to avoid placing Beltran on the disabled list.

ABOUT THE MARLINS (56-62): Florida had opened its current homestand with seven straight losses before Ricky Nolasco outdueled Matt Cain in the series opener Friday. The Marlins are still in the NL East cellar, and their play at home is a big reason why. Florida is 24-37 at Sun Life Stadium, the second-worst home mark in the majors. Florida has suffered an offensive downturn of its own lately with shortstop Hanley Ramirez on the disabled list with a sore shoulder, but RBI hits by Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton on Friday were just enough for the Marlins' first home win since July 24.

FINAL PITCH: The Giants set a major league record Friday with their 20th consecutive solo home run. The 1914 Philadelphia Phillies hit 19 in a row.