Tim Lincecum Beat Up Again, But Is There Reason for Hope?

Should we really be worried about Tim Lincecum now?

After compiling a 12.91 ERA in his first two starts, Lincecum needed a good start to quiet the growing concerns about his performance and health. Monday night's outing against the Philadelphia Phillies probably didn't ease that anxiety.

The worst fears of San Francisco Giants fans seemed to be confirmed, as the Phillies jumped on Lincecum for four runs and four hits in the first inning. Once again, the Giants were behind by multiple runs before their presumed ace could get off the mound.

Ultimately, that four-run deficit was too much for the Giants' lineup to overcome against Roy Halladay, resulting in a 5-2 loss. 

But Lincecum's performance may have provided some consolation.

He settled down after that rough first inning and went on to pitch five more innings in the ballgame, allowing one run and four hits. At one point, he retired 10 straight batters. His ability to get hitters out as the game wore on stands to be a reason for encouragement. 

Still, something was wrong with Lincecum in that first inning. Is he dealing with some kind of mental obstacle trying to put hitters away? Or is the diminished velocity on his fastball and reluctance to throw the slider continuing to cause him problems that need to be addressed now? 

Well, the slider issue was addressed on Monday. As Alex Pavlovic wrote in his postgame notes for the San Jose Mercury News, Lincecum threw it. He used the pitch approximately 20 times against the Phillies.

After the game, Lincecum said he felt good throwing it, which is a good sign. We will find out later in the season if the slider takes the toll on his elbow that the Giants are worried about. But for now, Lincecum is using his out pitch again.

Perhaps he should've used it sooner. A big reason Lincecum has struggled in the first inning, according to CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly, is that he wasn't putting hitters away when he had two strikes on them. 

Lincecum told Baggarly that the Colorado Rockies were sitting on his changeup when he faced them last week. He needed something else to keep opposing hitters off balance and give them something to think about, especially when his fastball doesn't have the juice that it did before. So it was time to dust off the slider.

Pitching to contact hasn't worked for Lincecum, and while trying to pitch more efficiently might help save himself for later in the season, he had to do something to get hitters out now.

There was no better example of that than in the first inning Monday night when a miscommunication between center fielder Angel Pagan and right fielder Melky Cabrera allowed a Placido Polanco fly ball to drop between them for a double. Instead of two outs to begin the inning, Lincecum was faced with a runner in scoring position and only one out with the heart of the Phillies' lineup coming to the plate. 

Abandoning the plan to reduce wear and tear on Lincecum during the course of the season might have consequences down the line, but the Giants need their ace to perform. Lincecum needed to show he could get hitters out and give his team six innings of work. 

Though the Giants and Lincecum ended up losing Monday night, the progress he showed later in the game might be enough to settle down all the worries that have been surrounding him.