Los Angeles Angels: Tim Lincecum on the comeback trail

Former two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum took the first step in his comeback trail, making a start for the Salt Lake City Bees, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.

The Los Angeles Angels are having a rough season. They’re currently sitting in fourth place in the American League West division with a 25-29 record and their pitching staff has taken a couple of hits—namely C.J Wilson and his slow recovery from season ending elbow surgery in 2015 and Jered Weaver‘s 2016 performance (he’s 5-4 with a 5.15 ERA). And while there are a couple of bright spots in the rotation, Matt Shoemaker and Nick Tropeano, the Angels could use some help.

Enter, Tim Lincecum.

The 31 year-old right-hander last pitched in the Majors last June 27 against the Rockies. In that game, he only lasted 1 2/3 innings and gave up three runs on four hits with two walks and a strike out. He had hip surgery last September and was scheduled to have a showcase for teams in mid-January, but that was pushed back a few times and by the time Lincecum was seen by teams in May in Scottsdale, the Angels were the ones desperate for any kind of pitching help. So they signed him for $2.5MM with the chance for $1.7MM in incentives hingeing upon whether he stays in the rotation, and most importantly, stays healthy.

Lincecum, who was signed by the Angels on May 20 as a free agent, made his first start for the Triple-A Salt Lake City Bees on Thursday night.

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So how did Lincecum do the first time being on a pitcher’s mound in nearly a year? He started off iffy, which he blamed on nerves, but rebounded nicely. He gave up two runs in the first inning and one in the second, and even balked with the bases loaded. He settled down in his third inning of work and even retired nine straight Tacoma batters at one point. His final line was a mix of threes and fives: Five innings, three hits, three runs, three walks and five strike outs. He also threw 88 pitches, 48 of them were for strikes, and he was able to reach 91 mph on the radar gun—his fastball was averaging 88-89 all game. Before his hip surgery last year, Lincecum’s fastball was barely hitting 87 regularly, so the small increase in velocity is a good sign.

Another good sign for Lincecum, and the Angels, is that during his May showcase, scouts were praising his changeup and curveball. They also said that if he built his stamina and improved his command, he could definitely help a Major League team. So a fastball almost near 90 and occasionally higher, combined with a good curveball and change, could definitely help Lincecum stay in the Angels’ rotation.

Step one of his comeback is now behind Lincecum and it was a positive one overall. Up next is another Triple-A rehab start, this time against the Reno Aces on Tuesday June 7, and then Lincecum is expected to join the Angels in Anaheim for a game against the Cleveland Indians on June 12.

Lincecum will turn 32 just three days later and told reporters on Thursday that he hasn’t felt this good since 2011 when he finished sixth in CY Young voting and had a 2.74 ERA.

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