Tim Lincecum Makes First Start in 10 Days, Explains Focus for Rest of Spring

By Maggie Pilloton | Mar 22, 2015

After 10 days of rest due to neck stiffness, Tim Lincecum finally returned to the mound on Saturday, after the neck stiffness lingered much longer than expected. Bruce Bochy and the San Francisco Giants were eager to get Lincecum back on the mound.

Due to this injury, Lincecum has thrown just eight innings this spring, but he was able to get in four innings in Saturday’s game, in which he threw 24 strikes out of 41 pitches and gave up one run on two hits and a walk. He didn’t strike anyone out though and struggled to find the strike zone in the first inning. After that though, he retired 10 of the final 11 batters that he faced and appeared much more consistent with his mechanics.

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Overall, the Giants got what they were hoping for out of this start from Lincecum, who has a 7.88 ERA so far this spring, which is partially due to his small workload so far and the injury.

Lincecum said that his neck stiffness wasn’t an issue in his start on Saturday though, and he just had to do some precautionary stretching. He spoke about the injury and how he’s not worried about his conditioning with Alex Pavlovic of Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area:

"“We’ll make sure we’re on top of it and it doesn’t come back,” Lincecum said. “That’s what we’re doing.”…“I would have liked not to have that hiccup but I did a lot of work this offseason,” Lincecum said. “Arm strength isn’t the biggest thing because I worked on it a lot in the offseason.”"

Hopefully for Lincecum, he can build off of this start and continue to refine his mechanics and increase his workload in the last few weeks of Spring Training.

Lincecum knows how important this spring is for him to re-establish himself as a starter. Knowing this, he reunited with his father in the offseason, in the hopes to fixing his mechanics and gaining some consistency. In his bullpen sessions and live batting practice sessions in the beginning of Spring Training, he was impressing his teammates with his deceptive pitches and his consistency.

After Lincecum’s start on Saturday, Bochy said that Lincecum remains the fifth starter as the Giants head into the 2015 regular season, but that could possibly change, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.

"“We’ll make a decision as we get closer,” Bochy said. “We’re not looking at how many innings he’s had, but what he did today: four innings. Good job by him.”"

The decision that Bochy referred to is regarding whether Ryan Vogelsong, or possibly even Yusmeiro Petit (but that’s not as likely), could replace Lincecum in the starting rotation. Lincecum is aware that the Giants have starting pitching depth and that the pressure is on him to keep his spot on the rotation, but he remains focused on his own pitching and what he can control. Schulman again with the report:

"“I’m pushing for anybody in camp. That’s part of being a Giant,” he said. “But on the other side, I’m focused on myself and doing what I’ve got to do and clearing myself of all the other things I can’t control. I can’t control what Vogy is going to do or (Yusmeiro) Petit is going to do.”"

Lincecum has the right mindset right now, and he can’t let the competition throw off his pitching. He needs to stay focused on his mechanics and finding consistency in those mechanics. Those are the keys for him to have a bounce-back season.

Lincecum might never return to his Cy Young Award form, but he can tweak his standards. He can focus on finishing the season with an ERA less than 4.00, which he hasn’t done since 2011. That would be an attainable goal, and if he can achieve that, he would more than likely solidify his spot in the starting rotation.

2015 is certainly a significant season for Lincecum, especially because he becomes a free agent after this year. Hopefully for the Giants and Lincecum, he can stay healthy and re-define himself as a starting pitcher in 2015.

Next: Can Cain and Lincecum Be a Dynamic Duo Again?

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