Bear
04-20-2008, 07:45 AM
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/20/2008
Like the San Francisco roster around him, righthander Tim Lincecum cuts a smallish, unimposing profile — but it's a façade that hides one budding titan of a pitcher.
"Reminds me," Cardinals outfielder Ryan Ludwick said, "of a young Roy Oswalt."
He sure has been this week.
After his 11-strikeout outing against the Cardinals last weekend, Lincecum pitched better Saturday, shutting out the Cardinals through seven innings of a 3-0 victory at Busch Stadium. The slight, 5-foot-11 (in cleats), 170-pound righthander confounded the Cardinals the way Houston's ace often does. Using the best pound-for-pound fastball in the league and a sharp breaking ball to wiggle free of trouble, Lincecum defeated the Cardinals for the second time in as many starts.
The Giants have won seven games this season. Four have come when Lincecum pitches. The second-year hurler has three of the four wins by Giants starters so far.
"Early on he used to power his way through lineups," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Now he's pitching. He's throwing any pitch at any count. He's got the confidence to do that. He's learning the hitters. He picks up things fast."
With the Giants' pitching staff harnessed to one of the mildest offenses in the game and headlined by struggling Barry Zito, its true quality is obscured. But coming into this series, the Cardinals held a hitters' meeting during which the Giants were described, according to Skip Schumaker, as "one of the best staffs we're going to face. A lot of good arms." That staff includes 23-year-old Matt Cain, 23-year-old Lincecum and Sunday's starter, 25-year-old Jonathan Sanchez.
Cain led all NL rookies in strikeouts in 2006.
Lincecum did the same in 2007.
To contend against the Giants' arms, the Cardinals adopted an aggressive plan at the plate for this series. It worked Friday as they pelted Cain for nine runs, the most he'd ever allowed in a start. It worked against them Saturday.
"Those guys were swinging early," Lincecum said, "and I had to try to take advantage of them."
Ludwick got a crash course in Lincecum's repertoire in four at-bats this past week. The Cardinals outfielder, who entered as a pinch hitter Saturday, got nothing but mid-90 mph fastballs in his first at-bat against Lincecum before he whiffed on a changeup. In his third at-bat of last Sunday's game, Lincecum fed him nothing but a series of sliders and curves.
On Saturday, he was on guard for a fastball but saw four consecutive curves, and grounded out.
"Both my slider that I developed this year and my changeup have helped me out tremendously," Lincecum said. "I went from a two-pitch guy coming up to a four-pitch guy now. I'm getting more comfortable with those pitches, and they've helped me out in big situations."
I take nothing away from Roy Oswalt, but I think Lincecum is better. This guy is great, and he will get better.
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/20/2008
Like the San Francisco roster around him, righthander Tim Lincecum cuts a smallish, unimposing profile — but it's a façade that hides one budding titan of a pitcher.
"Reminds me," Cardinals outfielder Ryan Ludwick said, "of a young Roy Oswalt."
He sure has been this week.
After his 11-strikeout outing against the Cardinals last weekend, Lincecum pitched better Saturday, shutting out the Cardinals through seven innings of a 3-0 victory at Busch Stadium. The slight, 5-foot-11 (in cleats), 170-pound righthander confounded the Cardinals the way Houston's ace often does. Using the best pound-for-pound fastball in the league and a sharp breaking ball to wiggle free of trouble, Lincecum defeated the Cardinals for the second time in as many starts.
The Giants have won seven games this season. Four have come when Lincecum pitches. The second-year hurler has three of the four wins by Giants starters so far.
"Early on he used to power his way through lineups," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Now he's pitching. He's throwing any pitch at any count. He's got the confidence to do that. He's learning the hitters. He picks up things fast."
With the Giants' pitching staff harnessed to one of the mildest offenses in the game and headlined by struggling Barry Zito, its true quality is obscured. But coming into this series, the Cardinals held a hitters' meeting during which the Giants were described, according to Skip Schumaker, as "one of the best staffs we're going to face. A lot of good arms." That staff includes 23-year-old Matt Cain, 23-year-old Lincecum and Sunday's starter, 25-year-old Jonathan Sanchez.
Cain led all NL rookies in strikeouts in 2006.
Lincecum did the same in 2007.
To contend against the Giants' arms, the Cardinals adopted an aggressive plan at the plate for this series. It worked Friday as they pelted Cain for nine runs, the most he'd ever allowed in a start. It worked against them Saturday.
"Those guys were swinging early," Lincecum said, "and I had to try to take advantage of them."
Ludwick got a crash course in Lincecum's repertoire in four at-bats this past week. The Cardinals outfielder, who entered as a pinch hitter Saturday, got nothing but mid-90 mph fastballs in his first at-bat against Lincecum before he whiffed on a changeup. In his third at-bat of last Sunday's game, Lincecum fed him nothing but a series of sliders and curves.
On Saturday, he was on guard for a fastball but saw four consecutive curves, and grounded out.
"Both my slider that I developed this year and my changeup have helped me out tremendously," Lincecum said. "I went from a two-pitch guy coming up to a four-pitch guy now. I'm getting more comfortable with those pitches, and they've helped me out in big situations."
I take nothing away from Roy Oswalt, but I think Lincecum is better. This guy is great, and he will get better.