(Sports Network) - Jonathan Sanchez hopes to make the most of a second opportunity when the San Francisco Giants hurler takes the mound for tonight's second test of a four-game series with the San Diego Padres from AT&T Park.

Sanchez spent the first three months of this season as part of the Giants' starting rotation, but was banished to the bullpen in late June after a string of poor outings. The left-hander lost his final four starts and allowed four or more runs in three of those outings.

In 13 appearances as a starter this season, Sanchez has recorded a poor 2-8 record with a 5.62 earned run average and has walked 46 batters over 65 2/3 innings. The 26-year-old will get another opportunity in that role, however, after the Giants were forced to place Randy Johnson on the disabled list with a shoulder problem this week.

Sanchez has made two relief appearances since his last start, a June 22 matchup at Oakland in which he gave up four runs and eight hits over 5 1/3 innings of a 5-1 loss. He did not allow a run in either of those two games, spanning a total of three innings.

In 11 career encounters -- including four starts -- against the Padres, Sanchez is 1-2 with a 3.45 ERA. Both of those losses came earlier this season, however, and he was reached for seven runs and walked eight over 10 2/3 innings of work.

Sanchez will be taking on a slumping San Diego squad that was shut down by Giants ace Tim Lincecum for the majority of Thursday's game. The 2008 National League Cy Young Award winner took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in leading his team to a 9-3 win over the Padres.

Lincecum (10-2) ended up permitting three runs on three hits in his 6 2/3- inning stint and fanned eight Padres to extend his league lead in strikeouts to 149.

"You just try to go out and try to pitch your game," Lincecum said. "And if you come out as a winner, then you come out as a winner. If you don't and somebody else picks up the win, then you're happy for that guy and happy for the team."

Lincecum was aided by three San Francisco home runs, including back-to-back blasts from Travis Ishikawa and Juan Uribe in the fifth inning. Bengie Molina had a two-run shot in the opening frame, while Pablo Sandoval contributed a two-RBI double to the winning effort.

San Diego did not register an extra-base hit and lost for the fifth straight time and has dropped eight of its last nine games.

Padres starter Josh Geer (1-4) lasted just 4 2/3 innings in Thursday's loss and was tagged for six runs on seven hits.

Josh Banks will try to give San Diego a better showing when he makes his third start of the season tonight. Since being promoted from Triple-A Portland in mid-June, the right-hander has gone 1-0 with a 5.60 ERA in two starts and a pair of relief appearances.

Banks delivered a sharp seven innings in a 4-3 win over Houston on June 30, holding the Astros to three runs on five hits to gain the win. He failed to back that effort up in his last mound trip, however. Against the Dodgers on Sunday, the 26-year-old surrendered six runs on nine hits -- three of which were homers -- in a 4 1/3-inning no-decision.

He made three starts against the Giants last season, including a gem at AT&T Park on May 31 in which Banks yielded one unearned run in a complete-game six- hitter. In a combined 19 innings pitched versus San Francisco, he has given up just four runs, only two of which were earned.

The Padres have taken six of the nine meetings between these NL West foes so far this season, but all of those wins came in San Diego. The Giants swept a brief two-game set from the Padres at AT&T Park back in April and have won six in a row as the host in this series.