Tagged: Lincecum

Lincecum looks to find control

Tim Lincecum pitched 5 2/3 innings against the Giants AA players on Sunday, and it’s time to play spring training good news/bad news.

Good news: Lincecum threw 95 innings, so he’s getting pretty close to being ready to start the season from an endurance standpoint. He also did not allow a run, gave up three hits and struck out six.

Bad news: He walked five.

Lincecum threw almost exclusively fastball and changeups, noting that he had been working on his off-speed pitches (curveballs, sliders) in previous spring outings. Now, he’s focusing on his fastball location.

“I need to get my fastball back,” Lincecum told MLB.com. “I’m not getting my arm ready for throwing a lot of fastballs. That’s where all my pitches work off of, fastball location.”

Lincecum spent most of his outing working on his mechanics. And he seemed pleased, but still noted there was room for improvement.

Lincecum should make his next appearance with the Giants on Friday against the Angels. His final spring outing should come on March 31 against the Dodgers.

To read more on Lincecum’s outing, click here.

Lincecum’s start: Further analysis

Tim Lincecum says he’s just fine. The Giants say they aren’t worried that their ace’s spring ERA  is over 9.00.

And More Splash Hits is hear to tell you that the two-time Cy Young Award winner is just fine.
Splash Hits took some time to watch Lincecum’s latest spring training start Tuesday against the Indians. Although the final stats were not impressive: 4 earned runs, 4 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts in four innings pitched, a more careful analysis will show this outing wasn’t all that bad.
Lincecum faced 20 batters on Tuesday. Only five of them hit the ball out of the infield. 
Lincecum recorded 12 outs — 4 by strikeout, 2 by outfield flies, 2 on infield pop-ups and 4 ground outs.
Two of the four Inidans got off Lincecum were legit. But two others looked more like outs.
Let’s review: Lincecum struck out two batters in the first with just 3 pitches each. He also gave up a home run to Shin-Soo Choo, an opposite-field shot that appeared to carry well to left in the thin Arizona air. We’re guessing that shot would not have carried out in most major league stadiums, and certainly not AT&T Park.
Lincecum gave up a single in the second, but that came on a come-backer on which Lincecum broke the bat of Jhonny Peralta. Both the ball and the jagged barrel of the bat flew out to Lincecum, who was unable to secure the ball.
The Indians scored a run in the third despite never hitting the ball out of the infield. Three walks issued by Lincecum helped that cause. The Giants pitcher walked the first two batters, then Grady Sizemore hit hard grounder to first. Buster Posey, making his first start at first, knocked the ball down and got the out at first. However, if he had fielded the ball cleanly, the Giants probably would have been able to turn a double play, and the Indians likely don’t score.
In the fourth, another walk put a runner on first. That runner was on the move when Lou Marson hit a chopper to the right of second base. However, with the runner moving, 2B Juan Uribe went to cover the bag, leaving him out of position to field the chopper. If Renteria had covered the bag, Uribe would have been in perfect position to turn a double play, even with the runner on the move. The Giants get two there, and Lincecum leaves the game with no more runs on the board.
Here’s how Lincecum’s day broke down:
FIRST INNING: Trevor Crowe struck out on 0-2 pitch; Grady Sizemore grounded out to 2nd on 1-0 pitch; Shin-Soo Choo homered to left on 2-1 pitch; Travis Hafner struck out on 0-2 pitch.
SECOND INNING: Jhonny Peralta infield single on 1-2 pitch; Mark Grudzielanek fouled out to first on first pitch; Andy Marte struck out on 2-2 pitch; Lou Marson flies to right on 0-1 pitch
THIRD INNING: Jason Donald walked on 3-1 pitch; Crowe walked on 3-1 pitch; Sizemore grounded out to first on 2-2 pitch; Choo grounded out to first on first pitch, run scores; Hafner walked on 3-1 pitch; Peralta struck out on 3-2 pitch

FOURTH INNING: Grudzielanek grounded out to 2nd; Marte walked on 3-2 pitch; Marson singled to center on 1-1 pitch; Donald popped out to first; Crowe doubled to left on 0-1 pitch, two runs score; Sizemore lined out to right on 2-0 pitch.
Lincecum finished with 78 pitches, which leaves him on great pace to open the season at full steam.
If you want see more on what Lincecum and the Giants are saying about Tuesday’s outing, click here.

Spring training: Indians 7, Giants 1

Giants fans who were hoping to see a Tim Lincecum-esque outing from Tim Lincecum on Tuesday didn’t get that. The Giants ace gave up four earned runs on four hits and four walks in four innings of works as the Cleveland Indians beat the San Francisco Giants 7-1.

Lincecum also struck out four Indians.
Things started well enough for Lincecum, as he struck out Cleveland lead-off man Trevor Crowe on three pitchers. After retiring Grady Sizemore, Shin-Soo Choo homered off Lincecum. The Giants right-hander ended the inning by striking out Travis Hafner on three pitches.
Lincecum says he isn’t worried by his spring results, which include an ERA of 9.39.
“A couple of balls just got away from me,” he told the Associated Press. “Other than that, I’ll try to take something away from this. My body still feels good. The velocity of my fastball is getting a little bit better. It’s coming out of my hand better. I know I had three or four walks, but it’s spring training.”
If fans want to see a scoreless outing from Lincecum this spring, there aren’t that many opportunities. Lincecum’s next schedule day on the mound in Sunday. But the Giants don’t want to subject their ace to a four-hour bus trip to Tucson, so Lincecum will stay in Scottsdale and pitch in a minor-league game.
That means Lincecum’s next scheduled start against major leaguers should come on March 26 against the Angels. And that would put his spring training finale on March 31 against the Dodgers, the day the Giants break camp and return to San Francisco.
Tuesday was a quiet offensive day for the Giants. They managed only five hits and went down in order in the first three innings.

Inside the box score

Kevin Pucetas continued to make a strong case for the No. 5 rotation spot by pitching two perfect innings, no hits, walks, runs or strikeouts.
Andres Torres was 1 for 3 with a run scored.
Edgar Renteria was 1 for 3 with an RBI.
Bengie Molina was 1 for 3.
Buster Posey was 1 for 3. He got the start again at first base.
Up next
Barry Zito returns to the mound as the Giants face the Oakland A’s. Zito sailed through his last outing against minor leagues, pitching four scoreless innings. 

Lincecum, Giants finalize deal

The Giants and star pitcher Tim Lincecum finalized a two-year, $23 million contract on Tuesday, completing a deal that was agreed upon last Friday prior to Lincecum’s arbitration hearing.

Lincecum will received a $2 million signing bonus, half due now, half due March of next year. So essentially, he’ll get $9 million in 2010 and $14 million in 2011.

The deal is good for both sides. It gives Lincecum some security, which is what you want in your first multi-million contract. It gives the Giants some time to access where they want to go in the future, some time to establish that Lincecum can be a durable performer.

Splash Hits expects that if Lincecum has another Cy Young-caliber season — whether he wins it or not — the Giants would be wise to lock up Lincecum through the rest of arbitration seasons and some of his free agency years.

Lincecum, Giants talking 3-year deal

Several reports have said that the Giants have offered a three-year, $37 million deal to pitcher Tim Lincecum as the two-time Cy Young Award winner’s arbitration hearing approaches olincecum.jpgn Friday.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Lincecum’s camp has countered with a deal for more than $40.

Neither side has confirmed those numbers, and the Giants are only saying that talks are “ongoing.”

It is encouraging that the two sides are talking and there’s a good chance this will get resolved. The question is how much more than $40 is the Lincecum camp talking about. But one would have to think the the two sides are now about as far apart on a three-year deal as they were with the one-year deal that will be decided Friday in arbitration.

Lincecum asks for $13 million in arbitration

Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum will seek a record-breaking salary via arbitration, asking for $13 million.

The record for the largest salary awarded in the arbitration process is $10. Alfonso Soriano (2006) and Francisco Rodriguez (2008) earned $10 million after losing their arbitration bids. The Phillies’ Ryan Howard earned $10 million when he won his arbitration hearing in 2008.
The Giants countered with $8 million.

Lincecum settles court case

Tim Lincecum appeared before a judge in Vancouver, Wash., on January 19 and agreed to pay a $513 fine to resolve marijuana charges against him.

The pitcher faced two misdemeanor charges against him stemming for an Oct. 30 traffic stop. The charges were reduced to a civil infraction.
Lincecum was joined in the courtroom by his attorney, Gary Metro, his father and Giants managing partner Bill Neukom.

Lincecum update

Tim Lincecum reached a deal with Clark County (WA) district attorney’s office that will allow the Giants pitcher to close his case regarding a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge with a $250 fine, pending a judge’s approval.

So hopefully this will close this chapter and the Giants pitcher can move forward.

Lincecum busted for pot possesion

San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is facing charges for misdemeanor possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia use after being stopped for speeding in Vancouver, Wash., last week

Lincecum, who is a native of Bellevue, Wash., and a former star at the University of Washington, was driving northbound on Interstate 5 through Vancouver on Oct. 30 when he was pulled over for doing 74 mph in a 60-mph zone.
When he was pulled over, the officer smelled the marijuana and asked Lincecum to hand it over.
The pitcher produced a bag with 3.3 ounces of marijuana from his glove box. 
Lincecum was cited and released. He paid $122 for the speeding violation. He is expected to be arraigned on Nov. 23 in Clark County District Court in Vancouver on the misdemeanor drug charge.
For more, see the story on The Columbian’s Web site by clicking here.