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blog, Filipino, Linceblog: Following Tim Lincecum, SF Giants, sports

Linceblog: Tim Lincecum reportedly done for season. Giants too?

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The  Freak in healthier times dangled the ball and had a motion that would turn his whole body into a flame-throwing pitching machine.

But now with his health in question, Tim Lincecum–the best Major League Baseball player ever with Filipino blood– is done for the season, according to multiple reports.

And it could signal the end of his career  as a San Francisco Giant.

Lincecum, 31, a two-time National League Cy Young Award winner for being the best pitcher in the game, four-time All-Star, and a three-time World Series Champion, is being shutdown for the rest season, San Francisco Giants general manager Bobby Evans told the Chronicle.

Lincecum has been recovering from a hip injury and sought medical treatment on Wednesday to see if surgery may be required.

I saw Lincecum last week and tried to talk to him, but with headphones on, he was riding a white motorized rover-style scooter and zipped away.

Lincecum will be a free agent in 2016 and is likely to have pitched his last inning as a Giant.

That would be hard to fathom for faithful Filipino American fans, and others, who looked on Lincecum as their special Giants hero.

Picked tenth overall in the 2006 draft, Lincecum has been the face of the franchise for much of his nine seasons and compiled a 108-83 record, with a 3.61 ERA.

The Giants are known to reward their heroes for past efforts. But Lincecum this year is being paid $18 million.

Once his health is right, Lincecum may want to test the free-agent market, but it’s unlikely he’ll command from other teams whatever the Giants might offer him to keep the fan-base happy.

Then again, the Giants got rid of Mays and brought him back. Baseball is strange that way. I could envision Lincecum trying Seattle, his home base, and a new league.

And then coming back to the Giants at the end.

But the most important thing now is his health. His hips were good enough for the motorized monorover. But just not ready for an MLB playoff drive.

Do they have Tommy John surgery for a pitcher’s hips?

As for the Giants, they may not be good enough for a last minute playoff drive. Three one-run defeats in a row to the Dodgers made for great baseball, but were heartbreaking.

The three games embodied the frustration of an entire season.  The Giants didn’t catch many breaks in the LA series and ended up falling just short. That could be the way the season ends, unless the disabled list clears and the Giants can muster one major push in September. The Giants with the second Wild Card last year have always been masters in “Just In Time.”

There may still be time. But they’ll need some luck too.

blog, Linceblog: Following Tim Lincecum, SF Giants, sports

Linceblog: Matt Duffy gives Lincecum, SF Giants the early lead v. Seattle; Makes you forget that Panda guy.UPDATE: GIants Win! Next, the Warriors?

Matt Duffy wasn’t supposed to be the Pablo replacement. But his work ethic and production has kept him on the roster and forced him into the starting lineup.

And now when the Giants are swooning, Duffy is really coming into his own.

In the 2nd inning, his two-run blast to the left field bleachers gave Lincecum and the Giants a little breathing room early.

But compare these  numbers:

6 HR, .745 plus OPS; .282 BA, 28 RBI

6 HR, .718 OPS; .261 BA, 23 RBI

The first set are Duffy’s.

But here are two other key stats:

Duffy is five years younger, and 85 pounds lighter.  (Not too mention, about $17 million lighter in salary).

Pablo’s career years may be over.  That’s what you get paid for. Duffy’s could be this year, and in the future.

LINCECUM

Tim seemed to struggle with control with 4 walks, but still managed to pitch around the Mariners and let his  fielders help him get outs. He made just two bad pitches both to Mariner Brad Miller.

Miller’s solo shot in the 5th was Seattle’s lone run. Then he came back  with  two outs in the 6th with an RBI single, to cut down the lead to 3-2.

That was enough for Lincecum, who left this line:

5.2 innings; 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 4 BB, 3 SO,  3.31 ERA.

It’s a win and a stop if the Giants and the pen can hold it from here.

Giants started game with a 5-game losing streak, 9 straight losses at home.

But they ended strong, adding some insurance runs to up the final margin to 6-2 over Seattle.

Win for Lincecum, now 7-3 for the year.

And now Game  6. Go Warriors? Or do you want a game 7 that bad.

I said Warriors in 6. Let’s keep it at that.  It’s more 1 v. 5. LBJ vs. GSW.  Can LeBron will a win?

And if so,  then there’s a Game 7 and more travel by week’s end.

Let’s see Curry and Thompson,  get super hot and end the madness with a super splash.

They got a lake over there in Cleveland. And it’s no mistake if the Warriors win in 6.

blog, Linceblog: Following Tim Lincecum, SF Giants, sports

Emil Guillermo: Too bad Chris Heston’s No-hitter comes during those NBA Finals–Warriors should be playing so well.

There’s an attitude in the Warriors that is so super cool, and nonchalant. It’s hipster basketball. They’re good. They know it.  And throughout the season, most people have given them the space to do their thing. But now in the compressed space of a 7-game series, every loose ball becomes a challenge point. But the Warriors stop, the Cavs keep going.  That’s the margin for champions.

Solution: Show up Warriors, at the start. Don’t be too cool for the room. Get hot. You can’t take three quarters to heat up like grandpa’s hot plate. Start with a boil. Go amok. Otherwise, let fans know you’re not in it, so we can start paying attention to the Giants.

There’s still time. But  you don’t show up to a brawl with LeBron James and expect to be able to finesse your way to victory.

They show up with a sledge hammer and dynamite. The Dubs show up with a Swiss army knife and the flashlight on their iPhones.

Ah, but those Giants.

Chris Heston showed up on Tuesday. I’d like to see LeBron James hit his curve ball. The Metropolitans played like Podunkers.  And the Giants gave their pitcher support. Joe Panik showed his “home” fans his stuff and solidifies the notion that he’s the guy at Second Base.  This night it was his bat. The World Series showed us his glove.  But thank god for Heston. In a season where the vets are rocky, hurt, or recovering, Madbum is still the guy. But Heston.  The no-hitter puts him up their with Charlton. He could  be their rookie Moses to help lead the Giants to baseball’s October promised land.

Get to know Heston:

He really is nicknamed “Hesto Presto.”

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