(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Tim Lincecum's quest for a second-straight Cy Young Award involves competition with some of the same pitchers from last year, such as Johan Santana. However, in 2009, some unexpected challengers have emerged, such as Saint Louis' Joel Pineiro and Lincecum's own team-mate Matt Cain.

But by far the biggest obstacle in the repeat campaign has been rejuvenated former A's pitcher Dan Haren, who is having a career year in almost every category.

Comparing Lincecum and Haren is easier than comparing, say, 2008 Cliff Lee and 2008 Lincecum, since not only are Tim and Dan in the same league, but are also in the same division.

They have also made eighteen starts each.

But although Lincecum was selected as the starter for the National League, Haren's first-half statistics are better in many categories.

Wins: Lincecum +1

Lincecum has ten wins in eighteen games, Haren nine.

Losses: Lincecum -3

Not only does Lincecum have more wins, but also fewer losses. However, he also has better run support (see below), and was actually saved from a few losses by the Giants offense.

Quality Starts: Haren +2

While Lincecum has struggled to get outs in a few games this year, Haren has been extremely consistent, resulting in seventeen quality starts. Haren's total leads the N.L., while Lincecum is not far behind (tied for third at fifteen).

ERA: Haren -.32

Haren looks like he has a large lead in ERA. However, in the same number of games pitched, Lincecum has allowed only four more earned runs. When unearned runs are considered, Haren's lead jumps to six, possibly reinforcing the assertion that Arizona's defense is better than San Francisco's.

Lincecum allowed four earned runs in his worst two starts. Haren allowed five runs once, but has not allowed more than two earned in any start since late May.

Strikeouts: Lincecum +20

Just as home run hitters add flair to the All-Star game, strikeout pitchers add drama through sheer power. Lincecum leads the National League in strikeouts with 149. Haren is only twenty behind, which translates to only slightly more than one strikeout per game.

WHIP: Haren -.24

Haren really starts building up an advantage when it comes to walks (16-34) and hits allowed (89-100), so the WHIP discrepancy is not surprising.

Pitches Per Plate Appearance: Lincecum -.08

Despite walking over twice as many batters as Haren, Lincecum is actually slightly more efficient with his pitches.

Walk-to-Strikeout Ratio: Haren +3.68

Despite Lincecum's lead in strikeouts, Haren's K/BB is much higher. This makes sense because Haren has given up fewer than half the number of walks.

Run Support Per 27 Outs: Haren -.99

Haren's April was especially brutal: He lost 3-0, 3-1, and 2-0 in his first three starts, before finally being on the correct side of a 2-0 win.

Recently, however, his team's offense has picked up lately. In four of Haren's last seven starts, the Diamondbacks have scored eight or more runs.

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