Tim Lincecum gave up three runs and failed to make it through his two scheduled innings Tuesday against the Dodgers, but he was pleased following his first start of the spring.
CSN Bay Area’s Andrew Baggarly has the quotes:
“It’s a good sign,” Lincecum said, “when you feel the ball’s coming out of your hand better than the year before.”
Lincecum struggled with his delivery last spring and didn’t have his usual velocity or command, problems that lingered all season long.
“Last spring it was trying to make something out of nothing,” Lincecum said. “I didn’t have the strength or the mechanics to sustain anything. Now the question isn’t whether I’m going to throw strikes. It’s where I’m going to throw strikes.”
According to Baggarly, Lincecum was throwing 92-93 mph in the first inning today and 89-92 mph in the second. Lincecum generally worked at 89-92 mph last year.
After Lincecum’s successful relief stint in the playoffs last year, some suggested the Giants might be better off keeping him in the bullpen. However, GM Brian Sabean and company certainly weren’t thinking that way. Beyond their top five starters, the Giants have perhaps the worst rotation depth of any big-league team, with Yusmeiro Petit or Chad Gaudin probably ranking as the sixth starter of the moment.