Scouting Timmy
Let me tell you why Tim Lincecum is no magic fix to the Giants rotation, no matter how well he threw:
He threw two “innings”, of 20 pitches each. That’s not a starter’s workload. That’s not even a long reliever’s workload.
No matter how good his velocity was (it was solid, at 90-91 MPH). Nor does it matter that his off speed stuff had good movement. Nor does it matter if he was hitting his spots, which…wasn’t clear.
He is not ready to throw at least five innings a game, much less six. And he won’t be for a little while.
This is a pitcher coming back from major surgery and issues, a pitcher who hasn’t thrown Spring Training when the rest of the league is a month into the regular season. He’s about as well stretched as Wayne Knight looked like when those tiny spitting dinosaurs found him in Jurassic Park.
This isn’t to say that Lincecum can’t or won’t come back. But what he isn’t is a quick fix, and that’s really what the Giants need. Peavy and Cain are looking awful right now, and the Giants need someone here sooner than two months away. Sure, I’d love to and want to give Lincecum a chance to come back. I do. But he’s not the answer to the Giants current problems.
