OK, I'll take some blame. After all, I did say that Tim Lincecum had reached his low point for the season (that is what "nadiral" means, just in case you were wondering) last time I posted. Well, I was wrong. Tim did even worse and the Giants ended up getting trounced, 8-2, by the fricking puds.
With a line like this: 3.2 innings ( a new low!), 8 hits, 6 runs, 5 earned, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts you have to really stretch to find some positives. The best I can do is that all the hits were singles...I know, not very reassuring. Basically, Tim coughed up a big game to the bad guys. It was a chance for the "new" Giants to change the tide against a worthy foe. Lincecum failed to meet that challenge and the puds leave town a little stronger.
If you are searching for some more good vibes you call always look to The Kid. Buster blasted a homer to center for 2 RBI's as well as two singles.
How on Earth does that team win with, not one, but two Hairstons running around out there?
Wonders never cease.
7 comments:
I can't believe how much I expected the exact opposite result today. Too bad. As upsetting as Tim's start was, I'm disgusted that we were shut down by Wade LeBlanc. He's not as good as Latos and Richard--he's the one to beat. Miserable performance by the bats.
Tim now has me officially worried. He was missing his spots regularly and was throwing high, fat, nothing cheese. The Padres--smart hitting by them--just tried to put the ball in play and go up the middle for singles. They didn't try to kill it and it paid off. Death by a thousand paper cuts. Tim is either hurt or out of shape or mentally de-railed or some combo of the three. Who the hell knows? But it is serious. It is no longer a slump.
And I've no fucking clue what's to be done about it.
An innovative one day 'trade & trade back' to the Yankees for a mandatory haircut wouldn't be a bad idea. I don't see a downside ... nothing else is working. He is becoming the weak link in the rotation - quite a change in perspective.
A few days ago, someone suggested having him skip a turn in the rotation, but waiting until after the Sunday game. My inital reaction was 'If he's doing that badly, why wait for him to suck again against a critical opponent?'
Maybe this is a good thing. Think about it. Let's have him play through his struggles. Perhaps this will inspire everyone else to play better. Besides, I'd rather have him hit rock bottom now (please let this be the bottom) so that he can only go up. We can only hope for the best. Go Giants!
For all of Tim's weakness, the hitters were not of much help. Four hits total, three of them were Buster's and the other one (Guillen's) was erased before the play was over. Overly hasty at the plate? Not sure. Huff has been in a bit of a slump lately, although other batters have been doing OK, not yesterday.
The word used in this morning's fish-wrap was "searching." Tim is searching for a little something to turn things around.
You guys are going to HATE what else the columnist (Paul Gutierrez)suggested next. That maybe, just maybe Tim misses Molina. Maybe the veteran catcher who helped him win two Cy Young awards should get a smidgen of credit. Oh no! That couldn't possibly be true!
I think it was already reported in the Chronic that Lincecum was very impressed with Buster's play-calling.
Plus, Buster was the one who caught Timmeh in his only CG SHO of the year.
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