I speculated last week that Lincecum would likely be gigged up for his debut like Ray Liotta at the end of Goodfellas. I don't know if he really was, but he sure pitched like it. Fastballs that sailed wildly high (hello, Pat Burrell!), curves that looked overthrown, and a tendency to forget about baserunners.
Is Lincecum ready? Here's one reference point: Phil Hughes's first start, 4 IP, 7 H, 5 K, 4 ER, 92 pitches. Hughes's second start: 6.1 IP, 6 K, 0 R, 0 H, one pulled hammy that forced him out of the game with a no-hitter.
I've left out one important stat: Hughes's walk totals. First start, one walk, second start, three walks. Lincecum's wildness led to five walks, not to mention the Howard HR, which came on a fastball Lincecum had to throw because he fell behind in the count.
A couple other notes: 1) Terrible, horrible, stupid umpire call on the 5th inning rundown. 2) Last night was a perfect example of why Toronto gave up on Vinnie Chulk. No matter how many great pitches he makes, he always seems to leave one over the plate at the worst possible time. The rest of the league should quickly learn if it hasn't already: with most Giants pitchers, you can wait for a walk, or you can wait for a fat pitch. The staff is living on borrowed time.
P.M. UPDATE: Dateline Boston: For a select few of us, the biotech convention is the biggest local news, but for the rest of greater New England, the headlines are all about Roger Clemens signing with the hated Yankees. I always maintain that to take the pulse on local opinions, ask the cabbies. So I've asked, "What do you think of Roger Clemens?" Unfortunately, my first cabbie was from Minnesota, and before that, the Sudan, so Yankee-Sox calumny wasn't high on his list of worries. The second shrugged, I assumed with indifference, and turned the traffic report back up. The third cabbie, from Ghana, didn't know who Clemens was, but we had a long talk about the merits of the completed Big Dig.
