The Freak’s recent funk kept on going Monday night. His fastball began at 90-91 mph and was consistent for most of his six innings on the pitcher’s mound. He peaked at 94 mph, but he just hasn’t seen that consistency in quite some time. Tim lost his velocity and his five straight games in August 2010, he later pulled it together and became a vital component to the Giants’ championship winning spree.
Lincecum may have stabilized himself after a not-so-great first inning, making up for it with 5 well played innings. The Phillies had 4 runs in the first inning which brought Tim’s overall total of first-inning home runs to nine in three games. In 2011 Tim allowed eight overall. Lincecum was quoted by the S.F. Gate having said:
“It’s just a rough time right now, and I have to find my way out of it. Like I said, I’ve got the positives to work with from my last five innings.”
When he let the Phillies score a run on him, the speed of his pitch didn’t seem to be the issue. His defense let him down as Angel Pagan failed to scoop up a fly-ball out to right center field and Tim Lincecum showed signs of losing his composure.
All of his pitches were lacking control and stability. His speed was off. His slider, which originally was mothballed to ensure the proper healing of his arm from an early season injury, returned to the selection of pitches. He proceeded to put several pitches down in the dirt but failed to fool the Phillies’ batters.
Bochy stated that since stadiums started displaying pitch speeds, the urge to look has tortured athletes.
How do you think The Franchise, Tim Lincecum, will finish the season?