MIAMI -- Brad Hand earned his first victory as a starter since 2011 when he outpitched Tim Lincecum by a margin of one curveball. Lincecum bounced a curve for a wild pitch that scored a runner from third in the seventh inning, putting the Miami Marlins ahead to stay Sunday as they snapped a six-game losing streak by beating the San Francisco Giants 3-2. "Its a very tough way to lose a ballgame," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Timmy threw great." NL hits leader Casey McGehee homered for the second time this season to help Miami avert a three-game series sweep. Hand (1-2) gave the Marlins shaky rotation a welcome boost by pitching seven innings to match a career high, and he allowed two runs. The left-hander had been 1-12 previously as a starter. "He got a little squirrelly a couple of times but was able to get it back," manager Mike Redmond said. "Thats what were looking for. Its all about consistency. We want this guy to be in our rotation. We feel he has the stuff. It comes down to him going out and doing it." Hand allowed six hits and one walk. He has a 3.22 ERA in four starts since rejoining the rotation. "I was just trying to go out there and get deep into the game," he said. "Ill try to build on this one and go out there in five days and do it again." Steve Cishek pitched a perfect ninth for his 21st save in 24 chances. Lincecum (9-6) allowed three runs in seven innings, ending his streak of wins in four consecutive starts. With the score 2-all, Adeiny Hechavarria doubled to start Miamis seventh, took third on a sacrifice and came home when Lincecum misfired a curve to Reid Johnson, and the ball caromed away from catcher Hector Sanchez. "I was just trying to get him to chase and be aggressive in that situation," Lincecum said. "I didnt do that, and the ball squirted away." McGehee came in with 118 hits and 54 RBIs, but the two-run homer in the first inning was his first since May 10. "Its a little weird," the Marlins cleanup hitter said. "I would have thought maybe I would have run into a couple more. But it doesnt bother me too much, and until the guys give me a hard time about it, I dont really think about it." McGehee had two hits to hike his average to .322. He also made a barehanded grab and throw at third base to rob Buster Posey of a hit in the eighth. The Giants offence, which has sputtered for much of July, suffered a relapse after three consecutive robust games. Their final 12 batters went down in order. Posey drove in their runs with a double in the third. Miami won with only six hits and despite a succession of basepath blunders. The Marlins had three runners tagged out between second and third in the first three innings. "What irritates me at times is it takes away from a nice win," Redmond said. "Were making mistakes we shouldnt make and just cant happen." NOTES: Giants 1B Brandon Belt will go on either the seven-day or 15-day DL because of a concussion, Bochy said. Belt was struck by a ball in the face during batting practice Saturday. ... Marlins RHP Henderson Alvarez may be able to make his next turn as scheduled, depending on how he feels in the next couple of days, the Marlins said. He left Saturdays game with a bruised left shin after being hit by a comebacker. ... Before the game, the Marlins optioned INF Ed Lucas to Triple-A New Orleans and recalled RHP Anthony DeSclafani from New Orleans. ... Giants 2B Marco Scutaro (stiff neck) was back in the starting after missing three games and singled in the third for his first hit this season. ... RHP Ryan Vogelsong (5-7, 3.86) is scheduled to pitch for the Giants when they open a four-game series Monday at Philadelphia against LHP Cliff Lee (4-4, 3.18). ... RHP Tom Koehler (6-7, 3.99) is scheduled to start for the Marlins when they open a four-game series Monday at Atlanta against RHP Julio Teheran (9-6, 2.71). Oskar Lindblom Jersey .C. -- Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith has been ruled out for Sundays game against the Atlanta Falcons. Bobby Clarke Flyers Jersey . -- Dane Fox scored his 61st and 62nd goals of the season and Brendan Gaunce had a goal and three assists as the Erie Otters downed the Kitchener Rangers 7-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.flyersteamstoreonline.com/authentic-brian-elliott-flyers-jersey/ . Notes on P.K. Subban, Dale Weise, Erik Haula, Mikael Granlund, Ilya Bryzgalov and more. Bernie Parent Flyers Jersey . -- For one night, Nick Calathes provided a big reason to believe the Memphis Grizzlies might be able to withstand the loss of Mike Conley on a short-term basis. Custom Philadelphia Flyers Jerseys .C. -- Gleason Fournier scored the shootout winner as the Grand Rapids Griffins defeated the Abbotsford Heat 4-3 Friday in American Hockey League action.AVONDALE, Ariz. - Kevin Harvick finally has a shot to win his first Sprint Cup championship, while Jeff Gordon was once again denied in his drive for No. 5.Harvick routed the field Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway, where he had to win to move into NASCARs championship finale. Hell go with Stewart-Haas Racing, the team he joined this season in his quest to win a title after 13 years of futility at Richard Childress Racing.Coming over here and racing this year has given me new life, Harvick said. Its like a dream. You lay it all out on paper and you say, This is what we want to do and we want to race for wins and championships, and all of a sudden youre a week away from everything that you talk about and dream about.Hell race Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Ryan Newman next Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the championship. The title will be decided by finishing order, and all four will be vying for their first championship.The championship field does not include Gordon or Brad Keselowski, who along with Harvick were the most dominant drivers all season. Keselowski has won a series-best six races, Gordon has won four times and led the points most of the season, and both showed the intensity of this new elimination-style Chase for the Sprint Cup championship with a pit road brawl last week that left both former champions bloodied.A disappointed Gordon said the on-track aggression and off-track intensity at Homestead will make Texas and the last month of racing look tame.If it was that ugly the past few weeks, its going to be real ugly next week, Gordon said.There were no fights following this race, but it was still intense as the championship field flipped and flopped with every lap. The most shocking change came after Gordon had crossed the finish line in second behind Harvick and thought he was in. Instead, Ryan Newman, needed one more position to bump Gordon out of the final four. He ran Kyle Larson high up the track to get the rookie out of his way to claim an 11th-place finish that put Newman in the Chase.I didnt take him out, Newman said. In a day or two, hell understand. Its hard to rationalize that, but I did what I had to do. I dont like racing that way.Gordon wound up missing the final by one point to Newman. He was tied with Harvick in the standings, but Harvick earned the automatic berth for his victory.Thats the system we have, Gordon said. I mean, I could have taken out Harvick, too, to make it in. But I didnt.Also eliminated Sunday were Matt Kenseth, who finished third, Keselowski, who needed to win to make it in but finished fourth, and Carl Edwards, who wwas 15th.ddddddddddddt was a devastating blow for Keselowski, who won a race in each of the first two rounds of the Chase. But he fell into a hole because of a mechanical problem at Martinsville in the first event of this three-race round that he couldnt recover from despite strong finishes at Texas and Phoenix.His mettle was definitely tested, too, as his aggressive driving style angered his competitors and led to two fights in four races. He was fined $50,000 for his post-race behaviour at Charlotte last month — actions that caused Kenseth to jump him from behind in the garage — and he and Gordon were both bloodied when the drivers and the teams brawled on pit road after last weeks race at Texas.We gave it all we had, it was a strong run, it just wasnt enough to advance, Keselowski said. We did everything but win. We broke down in Martinsville and it was a huge hurdle to overcome and it was probably going to take a win. Fourth wasnt going to be enough, and we knew that coming in.What everyone else knew all weekend was that Harvick probably had the field covered.His win Sunday was his fourth of the season in his No. 4 Chevrolet and reaffirmed that hes very difficult to beat at Phoenix. Harvick swept the season here, has won four of the last five races and the last three fall races.His 2012 victory came the same weekend news broke he was leaving Childress at the end of the 2013 season, and his win last year provided one final hurrah with the only team hed ever driven for in the Cup series.You can pretty much sum this whole year up as Holy cow, Harvick said. Its definitely the best position that, myself personally, Ive ever been in.His competitors next Sunday all had to sweat it out to make it into the finale.Newman needed the last-lap pass, while Hamlin and Logano both had issues early in the race that forced them to come back from a lap down and then drive through the field. Hamlin finished fifth and Logano sixth.Hamlin, the defending winner at Homestead, loves his chances. He lost the 2010 championship to Jimmie Johnson because of a sub-par finish in the final, and he said hes far more prepared to handle the pressure this week.I feel pretty optimistic, said Hamlin, a one-time winner this season. Love it, love the opportunity. Were on house money now, so lets go have fun.Logano, a five-time winner this season, will be racing to give Team Penske a sweep on the season. Roger Penske already won the IndyCar championship in September, and now his young driver can make it 2-for-2.Its all about how good your team is, and I feel like Ive got the best team, Logano said. ' ' '