SF Giants: The 1 Big Question Still Unanswered 2 Weeks from the Postseason

The San Francisco Giants have 10 games remaining in the 2014 regular season. Barring a major collapse, the Giants should make the playoffs either as the NL West division winner or as a wild-card team. 

Looking ahead to the postseason, there is one major question that still must be addressed. 

Should Tim Lincecum be on the Giants playoff roster?

The answer to this question will be cause for some hot debate, as there are two distinct sides.

On the one hand, Lincecum has a history of stepping up and performing well in the postseason. His stellar relief appearances in the 2012 playoffs and World Series were instrumental to the Giants winning the world championship.

Lincecum is a beloved figure among Giants fans and a big fan favorite. He is also a tough competitor and has shown the ability to rise to the occasion in many instances.

The flip side to this is that Lincecum seems to have lost his mechanics and the ability to throw quality strikes consistently.

As he has gotten older, Lincecum's velocity has tapered off, so his ability to command his pitches is absolutely critical to his success.

Lincecum headed into the All-Star break with a record of 9-5 and a 3.66 ERA. He also dazzled everyone by throwing his second no-hitter against the San Diego Padres in late June.

However, since the break, Lincecum's performance has declined dramatically. His record is 1-4 and he has been hit very hard.

Lincecum has pitched 38.1 innings, allowed 56 hits and 19 walks, while striking out 31. His 36 earned runs allowed gives him an ERA of 8.45. His WHIP is an astronomical 1.969. These are not the numbers of a pitcher that manager Bruce Bochy can trust in the postseason.

With the Giants still trying to win the division, or at worst lock up home-field advantage for a one-game wild-card contest, Lincecum may not have many more chances on the mound. However, if given the chance, he must prove to Bochy and pitching coach Dave Righetti that he is back on track.

Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News reports that the Giants will likely have 12 pitchers on the postseason roster. The 10 that look like sure bets include Madison Bumgarner, Jake Peavy, Tim Hudson, Ryan Vogelsong, Yusmeiro Petit, Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo, Jean Machi, Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez.

That leaves Lincecum competing with Juan Gutierrez, George Kontos, Hunter Strickland and Erik Cordier for the final two spots.

Although Gutierrez has been shaky at times, he has fared a lot better than Lincecum. Assuming he makes it, one spot is available. He has thrown 61 innings this year, allowing 57 hits and 12 walks, while striking out 41. His ERA is 4.13, which is too high, but he has a decent WHIP of 1.131.

Cordier has a cannon for an arm and can exceed 100 mph with his fastball. However, he sometimes has trouble with his control and as a rookie, it's unlikely that the Giants will put him under the intense pressure of the postseason.

Strickland, like Cordier, was a September call-up. He has been impressive and shown good poise on the mound. He is a very intriguing option and although a rookie, has an outside chance to make it.

Kontos has been shuttled back-and-forth from Fresno to San Francisco this season. When given the chance, he has pitched well. In 29 innings, Kontos has allowed 23 hits and eight walks, while striking out 25. His ERA is 3.10 and his WHIP is a solid 1.069.

If the Giants do not add Lincecum to the roster, look for Kontos to win that spot.

It will be interesting if Bochy and the Giants have the confidence in Lincecum to put him on the roster. This is a tough decision, as the Giants know how valuable Lincecum can be, if he's right. However, his struggles over the past two months do not engender any confidence.

If Lincecum gets an opportunity to pitch in a couple more games before the season ends and if he performs well, it is my belief that he will make it. He has built up too much goodwill not to. 

On the flip side, if Lincecum pitches poorly and Bochy cannot trust him in a tight game, Kontos may get the nod. This is a very fluid situation and bears watching over the Giants' remaining 10 games.

Stats courtesy of ESPN.go.com.