Struggling Tim Lincecum could be dropped from Giants rotation
By Dan Zinski
Tim Lincecum pitched a no-hitter earlier this year, but that epic performance seems like it happened a thousand aeons ago with Lincecum now in the throes of a deep slump.
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Lincecum has an alarming 9.49 ERA in his last five starts, bottoming out Saturday against the Nationals with a 2 2/3 inning, six-hit, six-run performance including four walks.
After that stinkfest, Giants manager Bruce Bochy is considering dropping the former Cy Young winner from the rotation altogether (via sfgate.com).
"“This is something we need to talk about internally, what our best option is,” Bochy said. “We’ll look at it and see what the best thing is for Timmy and for us the next time around.”"
If the Giants do drop Lincecum, the best candidate to replace him would be Yusmeiro Petit, who tossed 4 1/3 perfect frames in relief of Lincecum Saturday and has retired the last 38 batters he has faced.
Lincecum for his part isn’t fighting the idea of being dumped from the Giants rotation:
"“If that ends up happening, I’m just going to have to work with it,” he said. “If it doesn’t, I’m just going to have to get back on board and work twice as hard to get my stuff right. That’s really all I can do right now.”"
The Giants are still in the thick of the race in the NL West, and the last thing they need is a scuffling pitcher harshing their buzz. It might be time for Timmy to go to the bullpen and get a new perspective on things.
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