Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum tossed seven scoreless innings last Wednesday against the Dodgers and limited the A’s to three runs in six innings the week before that. But the optimism built around those two outings has suddenly dissipated.
Lincecum was torched for a career-high eight runs (seven earned) in 3 1/3 innings Tuesday night in the nation’s capital. The Nationals currently lead 8-2.
Lincecum now owns a brutal 6.17 ERA and 1.55 WHIP through 17 starts this season. He has 101 strikeouts in 93 1/3 innings, but those have come alongside a whopping 49 walks.
One wonders if the Giants will skip Timmy’s final turn before the All-Star break to give him an extended period of rest heading into the second half. Something has to be done, because the waiting game has not worked.