Welcome to the first installment of the Lincecum Report. Since the Giants are going to have a dismal season, I have decided to focus on one of the bright spots--Tim Lincecum. I will be watching or listening to each one of his starts this season and I will be writing a preparation report before each start so you know what to look for and a recap report that reviews how he did and how he is progressing through the season. Without further ado, here is the first report:
Last Start
(In this section, I will recap Lincecum's last start. A revolutionary title if I do say so myself)
Do you remember his last start? Neither do I. While the Giants front office has made a lot of mistakes, they did get one thing right, and that was shutting down TL at the end of last season. 146 innings was plenty and there was no reason to waste him on a bunch of September call-ups. Needless to say, TL should be fresh for this season.
Pitching Psychology
(In this section, I will give you a glimpse into what a pitcher is thinking before the start)
The first start of the season is always a big one especially for a pitcher who wants to take the next step in his career. The unfortunate thing for TL is that he knows the Giants are a bad offensive team. TL is all too aware of the fact that if he gives up 4 runs he loses. Pitching under those pretenses is difficult for anybody but it can be devastating to a young pitcher’s confidence. He cannot let a few early runs change his game plan or outlook as the game goes on. Of course, this is easier said than done and I am interested to see how his lack of run support affects him as the season moves into June and July.
(How is it possible that we have not read anything about how much the starting pitchers are going to hate the position players by the middle of the season!? The Giants may require two different airplanes to shuttle them around the country by July because of the rift between the two groups.)
Three Things to Remember
(In this section, I will give you three things to remember while watching the game)
* The 1st Pitch
The first pitch to a batter is the most important pitch of the at bat unless your name is Greg Maddox. TL needs to throw first pitch strikes to be successful.
* Batting Practice Fastball
TL doesn’t throw one and that is a problem. He needs to learn the art of throwing an 86 mph fastball that gets batters of balance and results in ground outs to the short stop. It might take TL two years to learn this strategy but it is worth mentioning at the start of the season. Throwing 96 is awesome but doing it on every pitch is not ideal for both his potential success and his long term durability.
* Holding Runners
Torre is going to test TL and Molina every time he has the opportunity. TL needs to do a better job of holding runners on base or he could be in for a long night (a long season for that matter)
Prediction
(In this section, I will give you my prediction for the start)
TL is going to come out of the gates pressing and over throwing which will result in too many Dodger runs for the Giants to overcome. The final score will match opening day 5-0 Dodgers.
Lincecum’s line:
IP: 6, K: 6, BB: 3, H: 5, ER: 4
1 comment:
What, no Cain Report?
I anticipate your reaction to last night's game, RT. Who doesn't like a little Merkin to start off a game? 1963 Colt .45s, lowest run total in a season in the NL, 464. That's the number we're up against this year. On to Lincecum, I was a little worried when he came in and couldn't get his fastball down, walking Eithier on four pitches. I hate Loney. He's going to be the Giant killer on the Dodgers. They shut Kemp down pretty well, but Loney got that little looper to drop in on a great pitch. Then he comes up and double later on. Lincecum's curve looked crisp, and I loved the first pitch curves for strikes to consecutive batters. His change looked okay, but he didn't through it so much.
Do you notice how close to the plate Velez stands? What is up with our veteran players making errors *cough*aurilia*cough*? Rowand should have had that one. Good stuff from Wilson. BOCOCK! He's in trouble at the plate.
Besides a walk off, the stike em out throw em out DP is pretty sweet.
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