Tim Lincecum Needs to Get His Head Out of His Ass

Posted in Uncategorized by Flavor on May 21, 2012

I love Tim Lincecum. He was *The New Beginning*, the little guy who put the team on his back and carried them out of the Bonds Era all the way to a World Series title. This image of him celebrating on the shoulders of his teammates is burned into my soul……

And for those reasons along with his 2 Cy Young trophies, I’ve cut him some slack when he has a bad start or two. But you earn slack with consistent performances. Bank it, and use it down the road some day if you need it. This season, he has been consistently horrible. The Giants are 2-7 in his starts this year and everyone is boo hooing about the Dodgers being 7 games in front. But if the Giants were 7-2 in his starts, a perfectly reasonable expectation given who he is, we would be right there and no one would be worrying about the Dodgers fast start.

So despite the injuries to Pablo and Wilson, and the fact that the Giants have gotten nothing out of Huff and Belt (two guys who were counted on by some to produce this year) the MAIN reason that the Giants aren’t close to being tied for first place in the NL West is because of one man: Tim Lincecum.

I don’t think it’s lack of effort. And despite his velocity drop I don’t think there is a hidden injury that’s looming. Some theories have focused on it being mental and I think there’s probably some validity to that. He’ll be sailing along and then always seems to hit an inning where he can’t throw a strike. And no major league pitcher, much less a 2 time CY pitcher in the prime of his career, should EVER get knocked out in the 4th inning against an A’s line up featuring mostly triple A players. He should be embarrassed by yesterday’s *performance*.

I still feel like he’s getting too cute with his slider and change up. He seems to be throwing them more often, especially early in the count, and the 2nd time through the line up the hitters are on to it and they let those pitches sail harmlessly by for balls. By the time he starts throwing the fastball again he’s down 2-0 or 3-1 and then they’re hitting it. And if you’ve walked a few guys that’s usually going to result in an output of runs. And when you’re ERA is over 6 after 9 starts that’s not bad luck. That’s *you*.

I also think it’s possible that he’s having trouble throwing his off speed stuff from the stretch…….

I’m assuming his dad has been a big part of the solution-finding process. Obviously no one knows what the problem is since he’s had 9 starts and I would argue that only 2 of them have been passable (at least from the standpoint of how we grade Tim Lincecum vs how we grade Barry Zito).

Regardless, the free passes are over for Timmy. At least from me. I am now dreading his starts the same way I dreaded Zito’s starts pre-2012. And while *ABZ* has been temporarily retired from my vocabulary, I am chanting *ABT* for every single one of Timmy’s starts until he gets his head out of his ass and starts pitching AT LEAST as good as Barry Zito. Good God, what has happened here?

The guy in the World Series image above is dead to me right now. Here’s the new guy: >>>>>

And I don’t like this guy………

221 comments

221 Responses

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Flavor said, on May 21, 2012 at 8:55 pm

Blanco, B-Craw, Hart and Aoiki are hardly leading the way at the top tonight: They’re 0-19….
Flavor said, on May 21, 2012 at 8:57 pm

And Brett Pill is hitting .213 right now…….
Ok, on that note, I gotta put my kid to bed. Shut the door on your way out, I trust most of you guys 🙂
- TedSpe said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:06 pm
  
  “Most” being the key word 😉
mrmrbill said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:10 pm

oy… took a nap in the 9th and this is still on! Nate’s working on a nice 0’fer
- mrmrbill said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:17 pm
  
  Nowfer 5. SMH
twinfan1 said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:12 pm

Yeah, well I’m out too, so I guess he can trust all of you.
- Alleykat said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:20 pm
  
  Hate to say it,but this game has the makings of a Travis Isihakwa walk off.
- TedSpe said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:26 pm
  
  hahahaha. I just got that! Funny Michael
willieD said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:22 pm

somebody jacks one…who is it?
- TedSpe said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:23 pm
  
  Travis?
Bozo said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:23 pm

At this point kat I wouldn’t have minded it.
Macdog said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:24 pm

Hector!
mrmrbill said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:25 pm

Hectored!
manny said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:25 pm

How about that fucking Sanchez, now make that shit hold up.
- TedSpe said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:26 pm
  
  It’s in!!! Here we go
Bozo said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:26 pm

Hector
willieD said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:28 pm

haha…i’d really dig some insurance…nice to get casilla, the closer in there yada yada…a W.
mrmrbill said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:34 pm

LoL… *real* close shave on that fastball, Casilla
- TedSpe said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:36 pm
  
  Game over. Giants win
  Book it
  - mrmrbill said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:41 pm
    
    nearly midnight, still playin’. Should be interesting tomorrow.
Del Mar Dennis said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:39 pm

After that Casilla AB, I’m reminded of one question I still don’t know the answer when it comes to MLB rules…
Is the batter required to take a bat with him up to the plate? Nothing good was going to come from Casilla swinging. Just stand the fuck still.
sandog said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:39 pm

I’m loving the major dose I’m getting of my boy Fleming on the radio tonite.
@Willie…Seeing Kawhi do well has been great. i never saw the Zimmer kid play, but hear he is the real deal.
Very pleased to see Lakers eliminated!! this could be a great night if Sandog Casilla closes this sucker out.
Flavor Senior…are you out there???
willieD said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:41 pm

wow, that was brutal, what a curve to kottaras.
mrmrbill said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:42 pm

fark.
- TedSpe said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:46 pm
  
  Told ya’ll Goodnight< Gentlemen (question mark)
mrmrbill said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:45 pm

whew!
Macdog said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:45 pm

Sweet Virginia, Giants win in 14!
Del Mar Dennis said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:46 pm

Crawford owes the pen 5 IP of work. Put it on my tab.
- TedSpe said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:47 pm
  
  The big tab or the little tab?
willieD said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:47 pm

brewers fans, and a lot of others might have laughed at casilla and his version of the barkley golf swing at the plate, but he has last laugh on everyone. If you gonna play 14, might as well win.
Bozo said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:47 pm

So the Giants bring in their closer in a non save situation and he gets the win. I see a shit storm on the Flap tomorrow.
Great win. I’ll let ted do the goodnight.
- TedSpe said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:49 pm
  
  My timing sucks.
  I called it. I am the mighty Carnak
  Goodnight, gentlemen (question mark)
- TedSpe said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:51 pm
  
  And just for good uck….fuck you, Bozo 😉
  You know I say that with love
  - TedSpe said, on May 21, 2012 at 9:52 pm
    
    good uck?
    Yeah baby
twinfan1 said, on May 21, 2012 at 10:07 pm

What happened to you know what from you know who? Yeah, I’m back to cause trouble…
Not a game I expected they’d win after the Brewers tied it… terrible game from Crawford, very little here about it. Virtually nothing about the killer error.
- zumie said, on May 21, 2012 at 10:20 pm
  
  I think because K&K didn’t make a big deal out of it, and for whatever reason, there weren’t a lot of replays of it. The fast runner hit a ball that Crawford needed to charge but he tried to go back for the better hop and had to rush everything. That’s a ball he needed to come in and make an all or nothing try for.
  - twinfan1 said, on May 21, 2012 at 10:41 pm
    
    It was completely routine.
  - zumie said, on May 22, 2012 at 2:20 am
    
    In your opinion.
snarkk said, on May 21, 2012 at 10:27 pm

Crawford F’d up and cost the team an extra 5 innings and Pen use, and the Bum win. I don’t fault Bochy for letting Bum pitch to Braun; Bum just got a ground out to the close out the 8th, if Crawford doesn’t botch the nplay. Extra 5 unfortunately not good for the roadie. I find it hard to believe this team can win as many as it is now with a SS and 2nd base combo that is AA quality, at best, both fielding and hitting. Casilla is doing just fine as closer — not missing the Wilson gnome at all. And, thank goodness they kept Hector. Hard to imagine this team with Stewie or El Presidente instead…
- twinfan1 said, on May 21, 2012 at 10:37 pm
  
  I did insist that Hector did have a chance to make the team.Some said that because Bochy had said the job was between Eli and Chris that Sanchez had no shot. Managers change their minds, I have no idea why anyone woud take early ST pronouncements as gospel.
twinfan1 said, on May 21, 2012 at 10:31 pm

After the totally out of control bitching about Pill’s mistake in LF, I’d expect somthing when a guy who is supposed to be an outstanding defender makes a truly awful error on a ball that Benjie Molina would have handled. Crawford truly has developed a cult of his own.
As I posted earlier, the problems are, in order:

1.Lincecum
2. Defense
3. Long relief
Nipper said, on May 22, 2012 at 5:21 am

Giants need a DH! NL should relent.
Cristin said, on May 22, 2012 at 4:10 pm

well said. i dont care if they DL him due to HIA syndrome or send him to the minors. Head needs to come out of ass, one way or the other. time for a wake-up call. Almost as if he and Zito have traded spots.