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Tim Lincecum News & Rumors

Good time to be Tim Lincecum - or any NL pitcher
February 8
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"That wasn't a Super Bowl, that was a three-hour "legacy" break. Legacy this, legacy that. Quarterbacks, coaches, teams - all of it a complete joke, given that legacy is properly bestowed in retrospect. I guess that's what happens when you have two dreadfully dull weeks to kill - Brady! No, Montana! Whoa, Eli! - but there is hope on the way. Out on the Arizona desert, hard by the cactus trees and the tumblin' tumbleweeds, major-league equipment trucks bear the tools of spring. They're rolling down the highway as we speak, and it won't be long before the pitchers pitch and the catchers catch."
Giants' Tim Lincecum grows into career for ages
February 8
San Francisco Chronicle
 columnist Gwenn Knapp
"When Tim Lincecum talked about age catching up with him, almost everyone else in the room had to stifle a laugh. He won't turn 28 until June, and he'd still need ID to get a drink in any bar tended by a non-baseball fan. Lincecum wore a gray sweatshirt with its hood pulled over a baseball cap, a fashion typically favored by teens who feel like hiding from the world. But surrounded by media the day before the Giants' FanFest last weekend, he seemed more at ease than he has in a while. A year ago, Lincecum seemed self-conscious, all too aware that he lived in a gilded fish bowl. In his first four major-league seasons, he won two Cy Young Awards and a World Series. How could he top that? He"
Giants' Tim Lincecum grows into career for ages
February 7
San Francisco Chronicle
 columnist Gwen Knapp
"When Tim Lincecum talked about age catching up with him, almost everyone else in the room had to stifle a laugh. He won't turn 28 until June, and he'd still need ID to get a drink in any bar tended by a non-baseball fan. Lincecum wore a gray sweatshirt with its hood pulled over a baseball cap, a fashion typically favored by teens who feel like hiding from the world. But surrounded by media the day before the Giants' FanFest last weekend, he seemed more at ease than he has in a while."
Lincecum not cutting out In-N-Out burgers, he's just not eating as many
February 4
San Jose Mercury News
 
"Tim Lincecum said the two-year contract he reached with the Giants is where he and the team "found the most common ground" and he fully expects future conversations about a longer term contract that would buy out his free-agent years. Lincecum ended last season at 187 pounds and shockingly, got up to 197 in November, which is double-chin territory. So he scrawled that number on a white board and recorded daily weigh-ins while challenged himself to drop 25 pounds. He did it by swimming every day in a current pool, doing the frog stroke. He's down to 175 now. Lincecum also cut out those well publicized meals of three In-N-Out double-doubles. "Just make sure you don't pick up the third one,""
Future is now for SF Giants aces Lincecum, Cain
February 4
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Since Tim Lincecum signed his two-year, $40.5 million contract, a lot of folks have taken the liberty of speaking for him. Lincecum wants to be a Yankee, they say. He wants to sell himself to the highest bidder the minute he is free and collect $200 million. He's giving management two years to field a better offense, or he's gone. Lincecum spoke for himself Friday and said none of that played into the brevity of his new deal. Echoing his agent, Lincecum said that two years was the "common ground" that the two sides found to avoid an arbitration hearing that Lincecum did not want, and that anybody who reads more into it is reaching. "Just because I signed a two-year deal doesn't mean it"
Tim Lincecum, Giants reach $40.5 million deal
January 25
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Tim Lincecum always has been a rare bird, from his windup to his hair to his demeanor, so who better to agree to that rare baseball contract that makes everyone a winner? The two-year, $40.5 million deal, which was completed Tuesday but will not be official until he passes a physical next week, is exactly what Lincecum said he preferred four months ago, when he told The Chronicle, "I just don't know how I'm going to feel five years from now, or three years. That's why I kind of like to take things step by step.""
Tim Lincecum, Giants agree on two-year, $40.5 million contract
January 24
San Jose Mercury News
 
"Tim Lincecum is expensive in arbitration. If he has two more superlative seasons, he'll be ridiculously expensive as a free agent. The Giants and Lincecum reached an agreement on a contract this morning, but it won't guarantee that the beloved, two-time Cy Young Award winner will remain a Giant upon hitting free agency when he's eligible after the 2013 season. Lincecum will receive $40.5 million over two years. The contract only takes him through his final two seasons of arbitration eligibility. The contract, which is pending a physical, will pay Lincecum $18 million this season and $22 million in 2013. He also receives a $500,000 signing bonus."
SF offers Tim $100M-plus but more able on Cain
January 24
CBSSports.com
 
"The Giants are talking to franchise pitchers Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain about multiyear deals, but while there are early indications they'll have a decent or better chance to lock up Cain into his free-agent years, the team seems to be focusing on deals of two years or one with Lincecum after he rebuffed an offer of at least $100 million for five years. Giants people are saying only that talks are "ongoing'' with Cain, but there is said to be a fair amount of optimism they can keep Cain on a longterm deal for under $20 million a year. Cain already took one long team-friendly deal, but Lincecum, who has so far gone year to year, seems more likely to wind up with a two-year deal now rather"
Giants, Lincecum make progress toward a deal
January 21
San Jose Mercury News
 
"The Giants and the agent for Tim Lincecum have made significant progress in the 48 hours after arbitration figures were exchanged Wednesday, and sources say both sides are confident of a resolution before a hearing would be scheduled to determine a salary for the two-time Cy Young Award winner. But both sides are remaining tight-lipped on the expected duration of the contract; Lincecum would hit the open market after the 2013 season and has been hesitant to let the Giants buy out any of his free-agent years. At least there appears to be plenty of common ground on the value of a one- or two-year contract that would take Lincecum through his final seasons of arbitration. Lincecum asked for"
Lincecum case an intriguing give-and-take
January 19
MLB.com
 columnist Anthony Castrovince
"The Giants and Tim Lincecum's representatives had gathered in a hearing room two years ago, the chamber doors figuratively about to be locked shut and an impartial arbiter ready to hear their disparate claims as to the pitcher's monetary worth for the 2010 season. Mere moments before the hearing began, however, the two sides agreed to keep talking, and soon thereafter an agreement was reached without the need to get the arbiter involved. Two years, $23 million. And in the wake of a 2010 World Series victory and two finishes among the top 10 in National League Cy Young Award voting, it certainly looks like money well spent on the Giants' part. Now, Timmy and the Giants are at the"
Tim Lincecum's thinking good for SF Giants
January 19
San Francisco Chronicle
 columnist Bruce Jenkins
"From a financial standpoint, this has been a good offseason for the Giants. It's always a good offseason when you don't have to deal with Scott Boras and other agents whose sole function in life - aside from amassing great riches for themselves - is to turn baseball's salary structure into an unwieldy joke. Forget this "what's best for the client" nonsense. If that were the case, Prince Fielder would have signed by now with the team that best fits his desires. If you're dealing with Fielder, Albert Pujols or any other superstar on the free-agent market, you're going to be robbed, you'll commit to more years than common sense suggests, and you'll almost certainly regret the deal within"
Giants give Pablo Sandoval 3-year deal; Tim Lincecum asks for $21.5 million
January 18
San Jose Mercury News
 
"The Giants and Tim Lincecum might have grabbed baseball industry headlines Tuesday when they exchanged record-setting figures in arbitration, but the club made its most declarative investment of the day in All-Star third baseman Pablo Sandoval. The Giants signaled their confidence in the Kung Fu Panda's conditioning and commitment, agreeing to a three-year contract that guarantees Sandoval $17.15 million. The club offered Lincecum $17 million and the two-time Cy Young Award winner asked for $21.5 million -- both figures setting records for a player with less than six years of service time."
All quiet on Tim Lincecum contract front, but Giants say talks with Matt Cain have been "healthy, ongoing"
January 12
San Jose Mercury News
 
"The Giants have Ryan Vogelsong under contract, but the heaviest case in their arbitration file is yet to be resolved. They still must come to terms with Tim Lincecum. The Giants and Lincecum's representatives have not spoken in over a month. Rick Thurman, the agent for the two-time Cy Young award winner, told me today via text message that he is "just preparing his arbitration brief" and has had no dialogue with the club since the winter meetings in early December. That's not necessarily a bad sign. In fact, the Giants and Lincecum will make two very big statements one week from today. That's when the two sides will exchange arbitration figures. After that, the strategy and expectations"
Gap still exists in Giants/Lincecum talks
December 29
CBSSports.com
 
"After some more negotiating this winter, indications are that there's still a sizable gap in long-term contract talks between the San Francisco Giants and their ace pitcher Tim Lincecum. Neither side would speak directly about the specifics of the negotiations that have been kept remarkably quiet this winter, but it is thought the sides are still at least a couple years and tens of millions of dollars apart. The Giants had made locking up Lincecum and his rotation mate Matt Cain their top priorities this winter, priorities 1 and 1A if you will. The Giants are believed to have raised an offer they made this summer that was said to have been for four years and presumably about $80 million"
Is Giants' best hope trading Lincecum?
November 4
Foxsports.com
 columnist Jon Paul Morosi
"At this time last year, the baseball industry was raving about the San Francisco rotation. After going more than a half-century between titles, the Giants had the pitching to win multiple championships. But young starters are rarely as perfect as they seem. They get older. They get more expensive. Ultimately, difficult decisions must be made. That's precisely where the Giants stand with Tim Lincecum, one year and three days after their shared triumph in Texas. Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and Ryan Vogelsong are on pace to become free agents after the 2012 season; Lincecum is up the year after that. Meanwhile, an offense that scored the fewest runs in the National League is in need of major"
S.F. Giants' Lincecum Sued for Trashing Apartment
October 7
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"The Giants' Tim Lincecum has been sued in San Francisco Superior Court by one of his former landlords for allegedly trashing the apartment he was renting, according to a published report. The suit, filed Wednesday, says the star pitcher caused $200,000 of damage to an apartment he was renting in the Mission District, according to the report by the San Jose Mercury News. Lincecum's lawyer told the paper the suit was "unwarranted.""
Giants' budget priority is pitching staff
September 30
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Giants fans who are daydreaming about Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder manning first base at AT&T Park next season need to dial back their expectations, judging from the message that general manager Brian Sabean telegraphed Thursday. Priority One for the Giants, after a season in which they scored a paltry 570 runs, is not throwing money at one of the premier hitters on the free-agent market, but devising a financial plan for keeping one of the game's best pitching staffs intact. Only then, Sabean said, can he look at the remaining dollars and see what they can buy on the market. "Once you build that model of what you're going to spend, and specifically with our pitching staff, then"
Upton leaves game after Lincecum hits him in the helmet, plus Freddy Sanchez pops in while Huff pops out
September 26
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Justin Upton, the Diamondbacks' best offensive player, has left the game after Tim Lincecum hit him in the helmet with a fastball in the first inning of today's game at Chase Field. Upton was pulled for the top of the second inning after he took his base and scored on Miguel Montero's two-run double. Lincecum was clearly upset about hitting Upton. As soon as Upton went down, Lincecum turned toward center field and raised his head, seemingly upset with himself. Lincecum then walked to the plate to check on the Diamondbacks right fielder, who rose quickly. He was fortunate the pitch hit him where it did."
Lincecum prefers short-term deals
September 23
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Contract talks with Tim Lincecum might be Job One for the Giants this winter, and though Lincecum said he would listen to whatever the team has to say, he told The Chronicle on Thursday he is not keen on locking himself into a long-term deal that would buy out future free-agent years. In one bit of good news for Freak fans, Lincecum said his criminal lack of run support in San Francisco will not factor into his thinking."
Tim Lincecum's self critique
September 22
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"It was strange to hear Tim Lincecum beat himself up about another excellent season after Tuesday night's 2-1 loss. Asked if he looked forward to trying to beat Clayton Kershaw next year. He said yes, but did not stop there. "Another thing is trying not to have double-digit loss seasons like I've had back-to-back seasons now," he said. "That'll be another goal of mine. I think it will be easy for me to reassess what my goals are in the offseason and make a pretty good chart, because I'm averaging a ton of pitches per game and a lot of walks. There are other things I'd like to get better at.""
Beltran, Lincecum lead Giants to sweep
September 15
San Jose Mercury News
 
"Carlos Beltran hit two bombs Wednesday that the San Diego Padres couldn't bring back, and the second was historic -- the 300th home run of his major league career. Beltran's homers backed seven strong innings of pitching from Tim Lincecum, and the Giants won their fourth in a row, 3-1, to keep their minuscule postseason hopes alive. But most people are already thinking about 2012, and Beltran's latest hitting display will no doubt stoke a mounting debate: Do the Giants try to bring Beltran back, and would he even be willing to re-sign with San Francisco once he becomes a free agent at season's end? "That's a decision I'm going to make in the offseason, but right now, I haven't thought"
SF Giants' Lincecum gushes about Sandoval, Sanchez
September 15
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"After shutting down the Padres to the tune of one unearned run on four hits in seven innings Wednesday, Tim Lincecum spoke mainly about a rookie catcher and an acrobatic third baseman. Lincecum (13-12) gave up that run in the first and then kept San Diego off the board in his final six innings. Lincecum said he and catcher Hector Sanchez got on the same page after the first inning. Said Lincecum: "I was shaking off a lot of pitches" in the first inning. He said Sanchez then "made a big adjustment. ... He did a really good job back there and allowed me just to get my really good rhythm from the second inning on.""
Aces brilliant in Giants' 2-1 loss to Dodgers
September 10
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"No one can tell Tim Lincecum and Clayton Kershaw that nothing's at stake in the National League West. They pitch for the second- and third-place teams in a race that's all but wrapped up, but neither was close to surrendering a thing Friday night. In fact, it was just the opposite. Each approached the game as the biggest of the year, and their desire and drive to outduel one another served as a splendid story line for the opener of a late-season series between the Giants and Dodgers. In the end, the Giants (in particular, Santiago Casilla) flinched."
Magic of Lincecum's 2010 postseason has vanished
September 4
San Francisco Chronicle
 columnist Gwen Knapp
"Tim Lincecum didn't wait for Bruce Bochy to take the ball from him. The Giants' ace reached out to the manager before he had finished his last stride onto the mound and made a very conspicuous handoff. Then Lincecum walked to the dugout with his chin drooping toward his chest, while the bulk of the Giants' sellout crowd rose to offer a polite, almost parental, ovation. Lincecum knew he had failed his team. The lack of run support didn't excuse a thing, not this time. He had just allowed back-to-back doubles and given the Diamondbacks a 4-1 lead with no one out in the sixth inning. He surrendered a total of nine hits Saturday, including a home run and four doubles, in what would become a"
Now's the time to give Lincecum some real support
September 2
San Francisco Chronicle
 columnist Gwen Knapp
"In some fashion this offseason, the Giants will probably make Tim Lincecum the first pitcher ever to receive a multi-million-dollar premium because he couldn't win 20 games. They owe him that much, and Matt Cain, as well. Someday, they may have to pay the same compensatory damages to Madison Bumgarner. But for the moment, Lincecum's concerns take precedence. The look of resignation that briefly crossed his face late in Monday's 7-0 loss to the Cubs was both unnerving and predictable. The mask worn by every member of the Giants' pitching staff had to slip eventually, especially when the lowest-scoring lineup in the game compounded its failures with exasperating fielding lapses. Lincecum has"
Cubs rock Lincecum and Giants, 7-0
August 30
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"The Cubs came to town for a three-game series that amounts to an appetizer for The Three-Game Series. The first-place Diamondbacks, riding a seven-game winning streak, will be at China Basin this weekend, and the Giants were hoping to cut the deficit before the arrival, get within striking distance to do some damage to the D'backs. However, the gap now is five games. As the Diamondbacks were spanking the Rockies 5-1 Monday night, Tim Lincecum was getting knocked around in a rare August letdown. He surrendered three home runs for the first time in his career, and the offense-deprived Giants lost 7-0. Manager Bruce Bochy, who usually reports to the Giants' interview room for a postgame Q&A,"
Giants' Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain victims of poor support
August 23
San Jose Mercury News
 
"It's every Giants fan's worst nightmare. Tim Lincecum in Yankee pinstripes. Matt Cain fitting on a Boston Red Sox cap. The Giants' co-aces, so adored here in the Bay Area, bolting for greener, more potent pastures where run support arrives by the bushel. Cain and Lincecum have endured systemically poor support over their careers. No major league pitcher has worked with fewer runs per start than Cain since his first full season in 2006. And Lincecum? The Giants haven't scored a run in 10 of his 26 outings this season -- including a 1-0 loss at Atlanta last Thursday. "Shoot, Timmy could be 20-3 with the Yankees," Giants first baseman Aubrey Huff said earlier this month. "You can only imagine"
Minor vs. Lincecum, which "Freak" will Braves see?
August 19
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
 
"The Braves will run out rookie Mike Minor to face Tim Lincecum tonight in a series finale at Turner Field, and they obviously hope they get a version of The Freak that's closer to the one they faced in April than the monster they saw in the division series. Lincecum is 1-3 with a 5.11 ERA in his past four regular-season starts against the Braves, the most recent on April 23 at San Francisco, where the Braves touched him up for five runs, six hits and a career-worst six walks in 6-1/3 innings. But no one has forgotten the division series, when he completely dominated Braves hitters in a two-hit shutout with one walk and 14 strikeouts. It was masterful. For his career, the two-time Cy Young"
Atlanta Braves beat San Francisco Giants, Tim Lincecum 1-0
August 19
San Jose Mercury News
 
"What emotions does it stir to know that Tim Lincecum is an 11-10 pitcher? Anger? Despair? Liquid hot volcanic outrage? Or perhaps all of the above? Lincecum sure appeared to bubble, simmer and seethe on the bench during the ninth inning Thursday night, as the Giants put the futile, finishing swings on a 1-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves. But afterward, in front of notebooks and microphones, he was placid, earnest Timmy. "Regardless of it happening consistently, or on an everyday basis, it doesn't matter," he said quietly, after losing on Chipper Jones' home run in the fifth inning. "You've got to compete with what you have on a given day. I seem to have a knack for giving up that go-ahead"
Tim Lincecum, SF Giants down Marlins 3-0
August 14
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"You know a team is on the verge of a death spiral when the manager has to order his players to have fun. Bruce Bochy reached that point, delivered his message and watched the Giants take heed with a 3-0 victory over the Marlins on Saturday night. After pitching one of his best games of the year, striking out 10 and allowing two singles in seven innings, Tim Lincecum revealed that Bochy convened the boys after Friday night's 2-1 loss and told them to stop scraping their chins on the carpet. It makes sense now. When Pablo Sandoval said the Giants "need to focus a little more on having fun," he was parroting Bochy, who was in a surprisingly good mood after the Giants lost for the 11th time in"
Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants shut out Florida Marlins 3-0
August 14
San Jose Mercury News
 
"Any time you ask Bruce Bochy about the Giants' odd, record-breaking streak of solo home runs, the manager lets out one of his basso profundo groans. "I really know what Earl Weaver meant when he said he liked the three-run home run," Bochy said. "We all do." Weaver also had pitchers such as Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar and Dave McNally. The old Baltimore Orioles manager would have enjoyed having Tim Lincecum on his side, too. Lincecum busted another losing streak while striking out 10 in seven shutout innings, and the Giants got their three runs in three different innings to pull out a 3-0 victory over the Florida Marlins on Saturday at Sun Life Stadium. A night earlier, Bochy called a"
Tim Lincecum stops the skid, Giants beat Phils
August 8
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Mathematicians at MIT were hovering over their computers late into Sunday night trying to calculate how the Giants could have 10 hits and a walk with nobody out in the fifth inning with only one run, and why it took three hits to get that man home from second base. That is your 2011 Giants offense, and it is hard to imagine a vast improvement down the stretch. And yet, the Giants remain in first place in a weak NL West after a 3-1 victory over Philadelphia because they have pitchers such as Tim Lincecum. He allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings and willed the Giants to a win that prevented the Phillies from completing a four-game sweep at AT"
Phillies fall to Lincecum, Giants in Oswalt's return
August 8
CSN Philly
 
"As much as the Phillies would have loved to have run their winning streak to 10 games on Sunday, they were able to find solace in defeat because their vaunted pitching rotation might have taken a step toward becoming even stronger. Roy Oswalt made his first big-league start in six weeks and though he gave up a dozen hits and absorbed a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the San Francisco Giants, he walked away from the start feeling no pain and believing his best is yet to come. "It feels good to be on the field," Oswalt said. "It feels good to be well." The veteran righthander had been on the disabled list since June 23 when the pain in his lower back – he began feeling it in April – became too"
Phillies can't solve Lincecum
August 8
Courier-Post
 
"Tim Lincecum has two Cy Young Awards and a World Series title to his credit, but two weeks ago, fresh off consecutive losses to Lincecum and Matt Cain, Charlie Manuel insisted that the Giants' right-handers weren't great pitchers. The comments generated their share of grumbling from the Giants, who obviously feel much different about their aces, but Manuel insists he meant no offense. His message was never intended as an insult to Lincecum or Cain. The comments were meant for the Phillies' offense -- a reminder that there was no magic to hitting the Giants' best pitchers. They just hadn't done it yet. On Sunday, the Phillies once again were overwhelmed by Lincecum's right arm, falling 3-1,"
Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain slighted by Phils' Manuel
July 30
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Phillies manager Charlie Manuel had a funny way of showing love to the pitcher he chose to start the 2009 All-Star Game. In an out-of-left-field comment following Thursday night's 4-1 Giants victory, Manuel put down winning pitcher Tim Lincecum (and Matt Cain), correcting a reporter who suggested the Phillies struggled against these "great" pitchers, who together held them to one unearned run in 13 innings in the series. "They're good pitchers. You say they're great pitchers? To me, I don't know how great they are," Manuel said, as quoted in the Philadelphia Daily News. "As they move on into their careers, the longevity part, I think that's when the greatness might come. ... When you say"
Tim Lincecum shows no weakness in San Francisco Giants' win over Philadelphia Phillies
July 29
San Jose Mercury News
 
"The infamously clever fans at Citizens Bank Park merely offered scattered wolf whistles for Tim Lincecum. But Phillies manager Charlie Manuel did plenty of chirping after Lincecum's six shutout innings led the Giants to a 4-1 victory to take two of three in one of baseball's toughest venues. The Giants hadn't won a regular-season series at Philadelphia since 2004. But they shut down the Phillies to win the NLCS last season. Manuel didn't like all the platitudes his hitters showered on the Giants' pitching staff back then. He isn't about to praise them now. Asked how his lineup could solve great pitchers like Lincecum and Matt Cain, Manuel responded, "They're good pitchers. You say they're"
Tim Lincecum to start tonight for Giants; Carlos Beltran deal official
July 28
San Jose Mercury News
 
"Carlos Beltran will make his Giants debut tonight and he'll play behind Tim Lincecum. Not a bad double-feature. Lincecum got the green light to return to the rotation tonight, two days after he was scratched due to a fairly incapacitating stomach ailment. He played catch yesterday and said he was feeling better. I think if it were a day game and the temperatures were a bit more fearsome, the Giants probably would be cautious and save Lincecum for the Reds. But it's been relatively pleasant here in Philly and the first pitch isn't until 7:05 p.m. EDT. So it'll be Ryan Vogelsong, Madison Bumgarner and Barry Zito in Cincinnati. Then the probables will be Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Vogelsong"
Lincecum not sure when he'll be ready to pitch
July 28
San Jose Mercury News
 
"No, Tim Lincecum didn't become a volunteer food tester for President Barack Obama. He didn't eat a morsel on the team's visit to the White House on Monday. But he took a bite of something bad that day, leading to a violent illness from which he was still recovering Wednesday. The Giants moved up Matt Cain to pitch on regular rest and they will wait until Thursday morning before deciding whether to do the same with Ryan Vogelsong in the series finale. "We're hopeful he's going to gain strength," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of Lincecum, who was scratched Tuesday. "If not, we're covered with Vogelsong. Obviously, we don't want him pitching if he's washed out." Lincecum said he has lost "a"
Lincecum loses matchup of aces as L.A. wins 1-0
July 21
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Major-league records are easy to check. A few taps of the keyboard revealed that Tim Lincecum had not lost a 1-0 game in the majors before the Dodgers got him Wednesday. Lincecum had to think hard when asked if he took a 1-0 loss in college or high school. He could not remember one. This one could have been predicted. Pablo Sandoval was out with a quad injury. Newest Giant Jeff Keppinger was supposed to start at second base but had a flight delay from Houston. Miguel Tejada, whose bat had been simmering, was on the disabled list. The lineup card filled out by manager Bruce Bochy was not particularly scary. Oh, and the Giants were facing Clayton Kershaw, one of the filthiest left-handers in"
Giants hold off Mets; Tim Lincecum evens record
July 10
San Jose Mercury News
 
"With a victory Saturday night, the Giants assured themselves of heading into the All-Star break in first place, and Tim Lincecum dodged the indignity of heading to the All-Star game with a losing record. Lincecum wasn't in peak form against the New York Mets at AT&T Park, but he was good enough to throw six innings of one-run ball -- protecting a one-run lead for five of them -- and three relievers formidably closed out a 3-1 victory that evened the Giants ace's record at 7-7. So is Lincecum happy he can now go to Phoenix without having to be probed about being a 6-7 All-Star? "Yeah, but they're still going to ask me about being a 7-7 All-Star," Lincecum said with a smile. And what will"
Tim Lincecum falls to 6-7 as San Francisco Giants lose to San Diego Padres
July 5
San Jose Mercury News
 
"Manager Bruce Bochy ran through the Giants' long list of problems after a 5-3 loss to the San Diego Padres on Monday: Tim Lincecum was off his game. The Giants aren't hitting, especially in the clutch. Cody Ross sustained a mild left-hamstring strain and had to leave the game. Suddenly, Bochy caught himself. "I don't mean to be Debbie Downer," he said. "We're in first place." It's easy to forget -- and hard to explain -- but the Giants indeed are two games up in the National League West. They're doing it despite some troubling trends. They're hitting only .241 as a team after being silenced by Padres starter Clayton Richard and five relievers. And their ace, Lincecum, slipped to 6-7 -- the"
Tim Lincecum still is a worthy All-Sar game selection
July 5
San Jose Mercury News
 columnist Cam Inman
"Tim Lincecum's final pitch Monday: A plea to the media regarding his recent All-Star game selection. "I just really don't want to talk about that right now, to be honest with you," Lincecum said politely while sitting at his locker. "I'm not in a great mood right now." His record isn't too great, either. Lincecum fell to 6-7 after battling through five innings of the Giants' 5-3, homestand-opening loss to the San Diego Padres. It gave critics more reason to dispute manager Bruce Bochy's decision to put Lincecum on the National League roster for the July 12 Midsummer Classic. But stop with all that chatter. Lincecum absolutely should make his fourth straight All-Star trip. Lincecum is a"
Tim Lincecum strikes out 12 in 2-1 win over Minnesota Twins
June 24
San Jose Mercury News
 
"With a new opponent in the opposite dugout and a fresh mindset on the mound, Tim Lincecum emphatically shook off his June swoon on Thursday. Facing the Minnesota Twins for the first time, Lincecum had one of his best outings of the season, leading the Giants to a 2-1 victory in front of a sellout crowd at AT&T Park. Lincecum entered the day with a 7.59 ERA in June but gave up just three hits and struck out 12 in seven scoreless innings. He got better as the game went on, striking out nine of the final 12 hitters he faced. "His stuff was dynamite," catcher Chris Stewart said. "He was getting ahead and putting guys away from there, mostly with his slider. I'm glad I was catching him and not"
Tim Lincecum back on track
June 24
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Inspiration comes from many sources, sometimes an old friend, sometimes the old man. After Tim Lincecum became Tim Lincecum again in Thursday's 2-1 victory against Minnesota, giving the Giants a series win, he said he heard many supporting voices during his earlier June struggles. One belonged to his dad, Chris, another to his former catcher, Bengie Molina. "They said, 'You've got to believe in yourself,' " Lincecum said. "I know it's a cliche, but you've got to believe you're the best. You've got to believe that and carry it onto the field." Lincecum did that and showed an American League foe he had not faced what all the Freakish fuss was about, that his 7.59 ERA for the month was a"
Lincecum's slider, or changeup, or whatever, too much
June 24
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"This series looked so promising for the Twins -- for an inning. They opened their three-game set with the Giants with a record eight-run outburst Tuesday. But the Twins' momentum was halted Wednesday, and Tim Lincecum finished them off Thursday with seven overpowering innings in a 2-1 San Francisco victory at AT&T Park. The floppy-haired righthander had struggled in his recent starts, but Thursday he evoked memories of his National League Cy Young Award-winning seasons of 2008 and '09. He held the Twins to three hits and two walks while striking out 12, all swinging. Nine of the last 10 outs he recorded were strikeouts. "He's a Cy Young Award winner for a reason," Twins outfielder Michael"
Tim Lincecum much sharper despite SF Giants' loss
June 18
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"By any objective measure, Tim Lincecum threw his best game in an otherwise dismal June on Friday night. He might have lost to the A's , but for the first time in four starts, he largely did not look lost. Perhaps he could not be objective when he surveyed a clubhouse full of downcast teammates after the Giants ' 5-2 loss. Yeah, he threw 94-mph fastballs, looked like his old self the later the game went and even made A's hitters look foolish at times. In the end, he gave up more runs than Oakland's rookie starter, Graham Godfrey, and that hurt. "It was better," Lincecum said of his night, "but at the same time, you can't guide yourself by what you did last time. I've got to battle and"
Oakland A's rookie Graham Godfrey outpitches San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum
June 18
Oakland Tribune
 
"Graham Godfrey surely was an unknown quantity to much of the sellout crowd watching him Friday night. The A's right-hander wound up playing the lead role in Oakland's 5-2 win over the visiting Giants, notching his first major league victory in the opener of the three-game Bay Bridge Series. In his second big league start, Godfrey limited the Giants to two runs, one earned, over seven innings, walking none and striking out three. Few A's pitchers get to make their first home start before a packed house, but the announced crowd of 36,067 left quite an impression. "The thing I'll remember most, a couple times on the mound I could hear A's fans cheering and then Giants fans, and they're just"
Oakland A's beat San Francisco Giants, Tim Lincecum
June 18
Oakland Tribune
 
"Not even the sight of the A's could cure Tim Lincecum's lingering ills Friday night. The Giants ace, who had dominated Oakland in six previous starts, was beaten 5-2 by the host A's. It was his fourth consecutive start without a victory. Even though he pitched a bit better than in his previous three outings, Lincecum's June swoon continued. He hasn't won since May 27 and has lost his past two starts. He has allowed 18 earned runs in his past 21?1/3 innings (7.59 ERA). Lincecum (5-6) reached the seventh inning for the first time in three starts, but by then had surrendered three runs (two earned) on five hits. Command was the biggest issue, as he walked five even though he struck out seven."
Lincecum struggles in San Francisco Giants' 10-2 loss to Cincinnati Reds
June 12
San Jose Mercury News
 
"In everywhere but the standings, the Giants seem far removed from being a first-place club. Their lineup is decimated by injuries, their offense is nearly nonexistent, morale is challenged -- if not shot -- and now their anchor, Tim Lincecum, is dragging in the mud again. Lincecum had perhaps the worst start of his career, and the Giants played with lethargy behind him, almost matching up like a Triple-A club as the Cincinnati Reds smoked them 10-2 Saturday afternoon. Lincecum's shoulders slumped as he allowed seven earned runs -- tying his career high — and failed to retire a batter in the fifth inning. He didn't record a strikeout after fanning Drew Stubbs to lead off the game. It marked"