Tim Lincecum: Two Wins in Second Half

Tim Lincecum has only won twice since the All Star break.

 

Tim Lincecum (12-4) leads the National League in strikeouts with 214 strikeouts and is third in ERA with a 2.43 mark.

He has held opponents to a .210 batting average and allowed only 142 hits in 185 innings.

However despite the great stats he has only won two games since July 9 and the Giants need wins if they are to stay in the pennant race and/or wild card race.

Lincecum has won three times in his last 10 starts but two of those wins were against the last place Padres and Pirates. He has only won once in August.

Tonight he will face Ubaldo Jiminez (12-9) of the Rockies who defeated the Giants and Lincecum on Aug. 23 by a 4-2 score and has a five game winning streak.

With only seven starts left this season Lincecum has to start winning games for the Giants. They are currently in third place in the NL West and seven games behind the Dodgers.

The Giants are trailing the Rockies by three games in the NL wild card race.

It is not like Lincecum is pitching that badly except for some wildness in his last two starts. It is just that he isn’t winning games which is more important than individual goals.

He probably won’t win the NL Cy Young Award this year unless he wins six of his last seven starts assuming Adam Wainwright with 15 wins loses most of his remaining starts.

Other candidates include Chris Carpenter (14-3), Josh Johnson (13-3), Jason Marquis (14-8) and Lincecum’s teammate Matt Cain (12-4).