Diamondbacks 9, Giants 6

The San Francisco Giants kicked off the 2012 Cactus League season Saturday the same way they ended the 2011 regular season — with a loss. Chris Young‘s solo homer ignited a 4-run fourth inning as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Giants 9-6 at a sold out Scottsdale Stadium. [Box score]

San Francisco (0-1) had won 8 of its previous 10 Cactus League openers before today. Since 2009, they are 7-2 against the D-backs (1-0).

Tim Lincecum got the start and threw two innings. The Freak allowed a run on four singles and struck out two. He started the game by striking out Arizona third baseman Ryan Roberts on three pitches. Reports from the press box indicated that his fastball was zipping along at just 89 mph.

Brandon Belt and Hector Sanchez each hit home runs for the Giants and Brandon Crawford had two runs batted in.

The Giants will split their squads tomorrow, with one team heading to Maryvale Park to take on the Milwaukee Brewers (Madison Bumgarner will go against Randy Wolf). Left-hander Brian Burres will start for the Giants’ other split squad against Ian Kennedy and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Both games start shortly after 12:00 p.m. (Pacific). Neither game will be broadcast on TV or radio.

NOTES: Four hours prior to the game, Giants players and coaches were ordered to evacuate the stadium after a gas leak was detected in the clubhouse. The Scottsdale Fire Dept. was summoned and gave the all clear shortly thereafter … Left-hander Dan Runzler‘s MRI came back negative. He re-aggravated his latissimus dorsi muscle (located on the upper back, behind the shoulder), the same injury he incurred during the final game of the 2011 season. Runzler will be out indefinitely and is now heading to Florida to get a second opinion by Dr. James Andrews … 2B Freddy Sanchez took infield before the game, covering first base on grounders and making throws to first and second. He’s still not quite at full speed, so we probably won’t see him until next week or the week after … Ryan Vogelsong (strained back) threw on flat ground today from about 120 feet. He’s expected to begin throwing off a mound next week … Former Giant Cody Ross had two home runs (including a grand slam) and 5 RBI today in the Red Sox’s 25-0 walloping against Northeastern University … New Giants outfielder Angel Pagan overran a single to centerfield that was recorded as an error in the first inning … In the same inning, the Giants’ other new acquisition, Melky Cabrera, threw out a speedy Justin Upton trying to score from second base from left field … Pagan (1-for-3) scored a run and stole his first base of the spring … Cabrera went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.