Former two-time CY Young award winner Tim Lincecum is currently suffering through a five-game losing skid.
The San Francisco pitcher’s downward spiral is taking all possible playoff hopes of this team with him.
The Giants are currently six games back of the NL West leading San Diego Padres with only 31 games left in the season.
Lincecum is stuck on his worst stint of his career, after a 6-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.
He gave up four runs on five hits in six innings and has a 7.82 ERA in August. He finished 0-5 in the month of August.
“I’m pretty ready for September,” Lincecum said. “This has been one of those things you have to take with a punch and just roll with it. It’s not fun to go through. You have to fight through it. The last thing I want to do is give up or give in to what’s going on now.”
Since opening the season 5-0 with a 1.76 ERA, Lincecum has struggled more than any other time in his career. He hasn’t won since July 30, and is 6-9 with a 4.80 ERA in his last 19 starts.
The Giants chances to win the NL West are almost out of reach this late in the season. But they are only a half game behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Wild Card standings.
Hopefully the month of September for the Giants ace is better than August. They will need Lincecum to pitch like the back-to-back Cy Young award winner he is capable of.
He has looked far too uncomfortable with his breaking ball, considering he has arguably the best change-up in the league.
The Giants just pitched him too hard the past two seasons. He has thrown too many pitches at too young of an age with too slight of a frame, and the result is decidedly a less lively arm in 2010.
Lincecum also has the highest ERA (3.62) and highest WHIP ( 1.34) since his partial season as a rookie in 2007.
He has lost almost a full three miles per hour on his fastball this season. It is down to 91mph. Lincecum is only 5’11”, 170-pounds and his small frame is wearing with each lengthy start.
The Giants are in the midst of a pennant race and could easily win the Wild Card with the Phillies losing seven of their last eight games.
The pitching staff is what keeps the Giants going and Lincecum will need to find his stuff and add some more fire to his fastball if they have any shot of getting into the playoffs.
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