Cliff's hangers hit hard

Freddy Sanchez sprayed balls down the lines. Cody Ross and Aubrey Huff hit line drives up the middle. Juan Uribe launched a shot far, far over the wall.

So much for the unbeatable Mr. Lee.

The Giants battered him and the bullpen, with Sanchez hitting three doubles and keying a six-run fifth-inning burst in an 11-7 romp Wednesday night that looked even more lopsided.

What shaped up as a pitchers' duel between Tim Lincecum and Lee quickly evolved into a rout. By the end, the Rangers played like the World Series rookies they are - they made four errors, Ian Kinsler took a mistaken turn around first base and manager Ron Washington may have waited too late to pull his ace.

"It wasn't quite the game we thought it would be," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Great pitchers, sometimes they're a little bit off."

Former Giants slugger Barry Bonds had plenty to cheer for from his seat next to the San Francisco dugout, especially when a tie game suddenly became an 8-2 thumping in the fifth inning. Rangers president and part-owner Nolan Ryan sat there glumly in a suit and tie, his prized pitcher a wreck.

Down early 2-0 to Lee, the Giants swung things in their favor in a hurry.

"We weren't too worried," Sanchez said. "We were actually surprisingly calm in there. We were able to get some things going. … We still felt like we had a chance.

"We know he throws a lot of strikes," he said. "We know he's one of the best pitchers in the game, especially in the postseason. We just wanted to attack him early."

And they did. Lee threw first-pitch strikes to 15 hitters; seven of those hitters swung.

"I saw the Giants work him pretty good," Washington said. "We left some pitches in spots we didn't want."

The Rangers did late damage, scoring three times in the ninth. Nelson Cruz hit a two-out, two-run double off Brian Wilson before the Giants closer finished it off.

Added up, the Giants improved to 10-0 against Texas at AT&T Park. Showers are in the forecast for Game 2 tonight when Matt Cain and his 0.00 ERA in two playoff starts takes on C.J. Wilson and the Rangers.

Sanchez finished with four of the Giants' 14 hits, which included six doubles. Right after Lee walked off the mound in the fifth, Uribe greeted sidearming reliever Darren O'Day with a three-run jolt that broke it open.

Sanchez became the first player to hit a double in each of his first three Series at-bats. He nearly had a fourth, too, but the play was scored a single and an error.

San Francisco had gotten through the NL playoffs because of its dominant pitching, plus an ability to win one-run decisions. None of that came into play in the Series opener.

Lincecum struggled at the beginning, making a strange mental error, but settled down as the game progressed.

The shaggy-haired ace walked off to a standing ovation in the sixth, his glove in his right hand and his head down.

The Rangers tagged him for eight hits, two of them shots off his left leg.

Lee entered the game with a 7-0 record in postseason play, one win shy of matching the record set by Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez for the best start in these big games.

But the lefty who loves to stick to his routine - and his messy hat - was all over the place on eight days' rest. He couldn't control his curveball and when he did throw it over the plate, it was flat, particularly in the fifth.

"We just clicked on all cylinders," Bochy said.

The last time the Giants had scored six runs in an inning during the postseason was in the 1937 World Series.

TODAY

• What: World Series Game 2

• Who: Texas Rangers at San Francisco Giants; Giants lead series 1-0.

• When: 4:57 p.m.

• TV: Channel 11

• Radio: 1490-AM