Tag: Tim Lincecum (Page 4 of 14)

      Giants make statement in Game 1 of NLCS

      October 17, 2010 /
      San Francisco Giants' Cody Ross (L) celebrates with teammates after hitting his second home run of the game against the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth inning during Game 1 of their Major League Baseball NLCS playoff series in Philadelphia, October 16, 2010. REUTERS/Brian Snyder (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Before the NLCS started, you almost had the sense that the Giants didn’t belong. That they weren’t supposed to be here and that they were just stopping by to pay a visit to the Phillies before Philadelphia went on to play in its third straight World Series.

      Sure the Giants had Tim Lincecum starting in Game 1, but he was facing Roy Halladay. In his first postseason start of his career, “Doc” threw a no-hitter against the Reds, who arguably have a much more potent lineup than San Francisco. He was sure to slice through their lineup with the greatest of ease.

      The Giants are a cute team, but you can’t get serious with them. You two have some fun, you share some laughs – but you’re not bringing them home to meet mom. The Phillies – now that’s a team you marry.

      Well, apparently that cute Giants team isn’t messing around.

      Thanks to huge night by Cody Ross, another stellar pitching performance by Tim Lincecum and a shutdown effort by their bullpen, the Giants beat the Phillies 4-3 in Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday night. They knocked around Halladay for four runs on eight hits and Ross went deep twice on the Phillies’ ace to set the tone for a massive San Francisco win.

      Lincecum wasn’t as dominating as he was in Game 1 of the ALDS versus the Braves, but he allowed just three runs on six hits over seven innings of work while also striking out eight. He gave up a two-run home run to Jayson Werth in the 6th to make the game 4-3, but Javier Lopez (a great mid-season add by GM Brian Sabean) and Brian Wilson (whose black beard is mesmerizing) combined to shut Philly out in the eighth and ninth to preserve the victory.

      The G-Men have a long, daunting task ahead of them but this was a huge first step. To beat the Phillies’ ace in his home park and in a hostile environment was impressive. The late-season acquisition of Ross continues to pay off and don’t forget that Lincecum isn’t the only Giants’ pitcher with nasty stuff. Game 2’s starter Jonathan Sanchez took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Braves and his slider could limit Philly’s power. It doesn’t get any easier for Philadelphia, either.

      But even if Sanchez doesn’t pitch well in Game 2 tonight, the Giants have already accomplished what they needed to do, which was win at least one game in Philly. Now that the pressure is on the Phillies to earn a split, San Fran could go a long way to making its World Series dream a reality if it can beat Roy Oswalt.

      Lace ‘em up – we’ve got ourselves a series.

      External Sports, MLB

      Giants making the right decision to start Jonathan Sanchez in Game 2

      October 14, 2010 /
      San Francisco Giants pitcher Jonathan Sanchez delivers a pitch to the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of their MLB National League Division Series baseball playoff game in Atlanta, Georgia October 10, 2010. REUTERS/Tami Chappell (UNITED STATESSPORT - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Every manager would love to have the problem Bruce Bochy currently has. He has to set his rotation for the NLCS (which starts this Saturday in Philadelphia) and even though Matt Cain is arguably the Giants’ second best pitcher, he won’t be starting in Game 2.

      That responsibility falls on Jonathan Sanchez, one of two lefties San Francisco will throw at the Phillies’ struggling lineup in the best-of-seven-game series. (Rookie Madison Bumgarner is the other.) Sanchez will get the nod over Cain because Bochy prefers to go righty (Tim Lincecum), lefty (Sanchez), righty (Cain), lefty (Bumgarner), when laying out his rotation.

      It’s the right move given the Phillies’ lineup and the ballpark they play in. Chase Utley is a left-handed hitter, as is Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez. All three of them can hit for power and given the Little League stadium that they play in, they can do some damage against a hard-throwing pitcher like Cain who relies on his fastball.

      But Sanchez’s go-to pitch is his slider, which is much harder to hit out of the ballpark than a fastball. In other words, he’s the better pitcher to throw at Citizens Bank Park (where Game 2 will be played) and considering he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Braves in Atlanta on Sunday, he obviously doesn’t have any qualms about pitching on the road in a pressure situation. (Although that certainly wasn’t the case earlier in his career when he was an emotional roller coaster in every start.)

      The Giants have a huge mountain to climb if they want to reach the World Series. The Phillies have the best collection of talent of all of the remaining teams and their pitching staff is expected to put the clamps down on San Fran’s offense, just as the Braves’ starters were able to do in the NLDS. That means the Giants’ spectacular pitching staff will have to be even more spectacular (maybe even perfect) if this club hopes to move on.

      But Bochy can only put his players in the best position to win and then trust that they’ll execute. There’s a possibility that Sanchez could get destroyed in Philadelphia and then Cain blows it in Game 3. However, in setting his rotation the way he is, he’s arguably giving the Giants their best chance to win. Now they just have to go out and execute.

      External Sports, MLB

      Tim Lincecum strikes out 14 vs. Braves, but only because the game ended

      October 7, 2010 /
      San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the third inning of their MLB National League baseball game in San Francisco, California August 10, 2010. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      The first batter Tim Lincecum faced on Thursday night lined a double into the left field gap and you could feel the panic set in from San Francisco.

      Giant fans knew what kind of pitcher Lincecum was in August. He got behind hitters. He couldn’t locate his pitches. He hung his breaking stuff. He didn’t re-stock the toilet paper in the clubhouse when he finished a roll.

      He was bad.

      Thankfully, the September Tim Lincecum arrived about a millisecond after Omar Infante doubled in the first. The Giants’ ace went on to pitch nine innings of scoreless baseball, yielding just two hits and striking out 14, which set a Giants postseason record. Cody Ross’ single in the fourth inning was all the runs Lincecum needed, as San Fran took Game 1 of the NDLS, 1-0.

      The back half of the Braves’ lineup is about as frightening as a box of kittens, but their one through four of Infante, Jason Heyward, Derrek Lee and Brian McCann is no joke. Lincecum wasn’t fazed, however, as he held the top of Atlanta’s lineup to just two hits while compiling seven strikeouts (including three of Lee, one of which ended the game).

      Derek Lowe was awfully impressive himself, but he wound up being the hard-luck loser after giving up one run on four hits over 5.1 innings of work. Truth be told, he shouldn’t have even given up the one run.

      Second base umpire Paul Emmel called Buster Posey (who had two hits in his postseason debut) safe on a steal attempt in the fourth inning, but replays showed that he was tagged out a split second before his foot hit the bag. Posey eventually went on to score on Ross’ single, which should have been gloved by Infante at third base. (It wasn’t an error because Infante never got his glove on the ball, but it’s a play Chipper Jones or even a slightly above average third baseman could have made.)

      That said, I’m thoroughly convinced that had Lincecum pitched 62 innings tonight, he wouldn’t have given up a run. He was absolutely sensational in his postseason debut and even though it was a tight game throughout, it felt as though the Giants were playing with a 10-run lead. Also, give manager Bruce Bochy credit for recognizing how special Lincecum was and allowed him to finish the game. That couldn’t have been easy with his ace already over 100 pitches and Brian Wilson sitting in the bullpen.

      What an outing by “The Freak.”

      External Sports, MLB

      Giants’ magic number down to 3 thanks to Lincecum

      September 30, 2010 /
      San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the third inning of their MLB National League baseball game in San Francisco, California August 10, 2010. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Even with a head cold, Tim Lincecum was able to reduce the Giants’ magic number for making the postseason down to three games.

      Despite being sick Wednesday night, the Giants’ ace allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out 11 in a 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks. He allowed a home run to Stephen Drew on the first pitch of the ballgame, but then settled in to dominate Arizona’s strikeout-friendly yet dangerous lineup the rest of the way. Unless he’s needed in a playoff-clinching start on Sunday or Monday, “The Freak” will finish the regular season with a 16-10 record and a 3.43 ERA.

      Offensively, Pat Burrell took Arizona starter Ian Kennedy deep for a three-run shot in the fourth inning to give the Giants all the runs they would need. The 33-year-old has been rejuvenated in San Francisco, as that was his 20th homer since becoming a Giant.

      The Padres beat the Cubs 3-0 last night, so the Giants couldn’t bring their magic number down to two games, but with only four remaining San Francisco is certainly in the driver’s seat. That said, San Diego comes to town for a three-game set starting on Friday, so the Giants can’t slip up now. If they lose to the Diamondbacks today in the series finale and the Padres beat the Cubs, there will only be one game that separates the NL West rivals with three games left.

      This is what September baseball is all about.

      External Sports, MLB

      Rockies once again accused of using juiced balls at Coors Field

      September 26, 2010 /

      According to a report by AOL Fanhouse.com, MLB will now oversee the use of humidor balls at Coors Field following a compliant by the Giants, who have accused the Rockies of using “non-humidor” balls in the teams’ three-game series this weekend.

      Tim Lincecum, who made a start two days again in Colorado, could be seen curising on the field when tossing a ball back to the umpire during the sixth inning. He went on to pitch eight innings while giving up just one run in a 2-1 Giants’ victory.

      The Rockies are 51-26 at home this year compared to just 31-46 on the road, but that of course doesn’t mean that they’re cheating. Most baseball teams play better at home than they do on the road, although this isn’t the first time the Rockies have been accused of using juiced balls either.

      Would anyone be surprised if someone with the Rockies slipped some “non-humidor” balls to the opposing pitcher in a tight pennant race? I wouldn’t – especially with Lincecum on the hill. And if the Rockies were cheating, it makes Lincecum’s outing the other night even more impressive.

      I doubt we’ll see MLB do anything about this issue. The Rockies will probably go on to miss the playoffs, this story will die down and then it’ll resurface next year when another team accusing them of juicing their balls. (Juicing their balls? On a Sunday morning? I mean really, that’s just not right…)

      External Sports, MLB, Video

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