PHOENIX — The San Francisco Giants held a players-only meeting prior to tonight's game, probably to remind each other that they needed to raise their focus against the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks.

Or perhaps it was to make sure the disappointment of Sunday's doubleheader loss at Florida was out of their system.

Or maybe they all got together in a circle, held hands, sung joyously and gave thanks that it was Tim Lincecum's day to pitch.

The Giants have done their share of losing this season, but not often when their hard-throwing, shaggy-haired, baby-faced ace is on the mound. Lincecum mastered the Diamondbacks into the eighth inning and Bengie Molina carried over his award-winning offensive week by hitting a three-run home run in a 6-3 victory at Chase Field.

An ace is also a stopper, and Lincecum has picked up the Giants all six times he has pitched following a loss. He is 5-0 with a 2.45 ERA in those outings, and the Giants have won all six.

Lincecum (7-1) received a burst of support with Molina's home run in the third inning against Dan Haren. The Giants tacked on important runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh.

It looked as if Lincecum wouldn't need the insurance. He held Arizona to just a run over seven innings, and that one scored when second baseman Ray Durham failed to smother an infield single.

Giants Manager Bruce Bochy pushed Lincecum into the eighth after he had thrown 107 pitches, though Lincecum was pulled after allowing a pair of one-out singles.

Tyler Walker allowed both inherited runners to score, marking just the third time this season that Lincecum has been charged with multiple runs in an inning.

It's no wonder Lincecum has seven of the rotation's 12 wins, and the Giants are 8-3 in his starts. No other Giants starter has more than two victories — not even Matt Cain, who has pitched well at times but has yet to find his dominant streak.

Brian Wilson protected Lincecum's victory, working a stress-free ninth inning to record his 15th save.

Not only did the Giants give Lincecum a lead to protect, but it might have been significant that they broke through against Haren, a pitcher who owned them over two Bay Bridge series starts as a member of the Oakland A's last season.

Haren was 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA against the Giants last year, and was making the first of what should be several starts against them while competing for an NL West rival.

Perhaps the Giants lineup really is turning a corner. The Giants are averaging 4.48 runs this month, a major improvement over the 3.21 runs they averaged in April.

More importantly, they are getting consistent production. This month, they have scored at least three runs in 20 of 23 games. In April, they scored two runs or fewer in 13 of 29 games.

Molina's resurgence has been a big part of that. The catcher was named the National League Player of the Week for May 19-25, when he hit .652 with six doubles and drove in nine runs. Included in that run was a 6-for-7 performance in Sunday's pair of losses in Miami.

"I probably don't have any time to enjoy it," said Molina, who had not won the weekly honor in his career. "It's a very emotional thing for me, a personal achievement, but I'd trade it for 10 wins or to be over .500."

Molina also receives a "suitably engraved luxury Swiss timepiece" to signify the award.

Until a week ago, Molina's swing lacked its usual precision with runners on base.

At the close of business May 17, Molina was batting .233 with runners in scoring position and was hitless in his last 15 at-bats in those situations.

But eventually, Molina found the clutch skills that compelled Manager Bruce Bochy to put him in the cleanup spot this season.

Entering today's game, Molina was 7-for-7 with a sacrifice fly in his last eight plate appearances with runners in scoring position. He made it 8-for-8 in the third inning, when Haren threw him a sinker at the shoe tops that Molina drove over the wall in left-center field.

Molina's streak ended his next at-bat, when he struck out with Ray Durham at second base.