Los Angeles Angels: Tim Lincecum’s rotation spot could be in jeopardy
By Tim Haberin
Tim Lincecum has been absolutely awful for the Los Angeles Angels, and there is reportedly no guarantee he will get another start.
To put it bluntly, Tim Lincecum‘s stint with the Los Angeles Angels has been ugly. When a starting pitcher carries a 9.16 ERA and 2.37 WHIP after nine outings, there is simply no positive way to spin it. And according to Angels leadership, it’s no sure thing that the 32-year-old right-hander will be making another start for the Halos.
Yesterday, Lincecum was shelled (again) in rather spectacular fashion, this time by the Seattle Mariners. He lasted just three and a third innings, allowing six runs on nine hits. That’s not the line you want to see, particularly in a pitcher-friendly venue like Safeco Field against a team that’s around the middle of the pack in runs scored.
If there was any silver lining to the debacle, it was that the performance still wasn’t as bad as Lincecum’s start on July 24 against the Houston Astros. In that one, he was pulled after an inning and a third in which he served up eight runs on seven hits… including three home runs. Ouch.
Per Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com, manager Mike Scioscia was asked after the game whether Lincecum would make another start. “Our goal is to get him right,” he replied. “I don’t want to have to put a heads or a tails on yes or no, what’s going to happen in six days. Our goal is to get Tim right; that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
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That’s a notable shift from only a week ago, when the Angels backed Lincecum to maintain his place in the rotation after another poor showing opposite the Red Sox. It seems like the Halo brass might have finally seen enough to convince themselves to turn the page.
Even during his struggles of the past several seasons, Lincecum has never looked quite this bad. You could point to a variety of potential reasons: lingering health issues, the move to the American League, continued general decline. Whatever the cause, he’s getting hit, and hit hard. Lincecum’s 2016 statistics are a horror story by virtually every metric; per nine innings, he’s allowing 16 hits, 5.4 walks and 2.6 home runs. The 7.5 K/9 is more or less in line with the last couple years.
Lincecum didn’t start the regular season on any roster. A free agent, he carefully worked his way back from injury and set up a showcase for scouts in early May, hoping to latch on with a team in need of starting pitching. He reportedly looked solid in that showcase, hitting 92 mph on the radar gun. Amid interest from several clubs, the Angels signed him on May 20 to a one-year, $2.5 million pro-rated contract with incentives.
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Bringing Lincecum aboard was an inexpensive risk for a team that at the time hoped to get back into the postseason race. That plan has soured, too: the Angels are now 13.5 games behind in the AL West and 11.5 back in the Wild Card. At this point, there’s no benefit to trotting Lincecum out there to get lit up every five days. Whether “getting him right” means moving him to the bullpen or seeing if he’ll agree to a spell in the minor leagues, Lincecum’s turn in the rotation would be better served going to someone else.