Yardbarker: Tim Lincecum

Pitcher Abuse Points; Which young pitchers have been abused?

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:39:32 -0500

With Joba's arm in the news today, it's a good time to take a look at how far we've come when it comes to protecting young arms. Using Pitcher Abuse Points, the Roster Doctor takes a look at 1998's most abused young pitchers and compares that list to today's highly-used young men. Should you worry about owning a young pitcher on this list? That depends.

2008 Pitcher Rankings

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 06:00:28 -0500

2008 Scores are down, but that doesn't stop the FBHOF from rating the pitchers.

On the Road Again

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:35:35 -0500

The D-backs have started a crucial nine game road trip against the NL West in strong fashion, winning the first two games against the Giants. This included a victory over Tim Lincecum, and followed a series victory over the Cubs. Which included a surprising move by Lou Piniella, in resting Carlos Zambrano just in case [...]

Joey And Jason On The Rangers: Trade Possibilities

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:58:14 -0500

Dissecting the Texas Rangers' growing backstop conundrum; what would it take to pry Ian Kinsler loose from the Rangers?

MLB Top 50 fantasy players - July 18

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:50:15 -0500

Foxsports.com fantasy writer Gerritt Ritt's list of the Top 50 fantasy players in MLB. Josh Hamilton leads in RBI and is hitting more than .300 makes him the first half's top fantasy player. These rankings are updated weekly during the MLB season.

First Half Fantasy MVP Awards

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:40:47 -0500

Check out the first half, fantasy baseball MVP's from every position.

Create The Caption #245

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:19:06 -0500

(Usually) Everyday I'll throw out a photo from the AP or one of the bigger sites and you provide the caption. Hilarity ensues. I'm also adding a handful of links at the bottom of the page that you should check out each day.

Yesterday's Winners....

"The Ace of Spades!"- Mark Mc

"Nice! I like that NYPD choke hold out in Center Field!"- Shackey316

"Yankee fans only like me for my barbed wire tattoos."- G-Money>

"DAMMIT!!! Cant get all the way through "Through the Fire And the Flames....goddamn Guitar Hero"- vhscola
_______________________________________

Are you funny enough to create a caption for this photo of the Boss riding around on the field last night?

Daily Links:

Congrats To The Ballhype Duo (Ballhype)
A Look Into The Early MLB Predictions (WSJ)
Dr.Z Remembers (KSK)
On Steve Phillips Atheist Comments (Primoz Forever)
Pittsburgh Pirates The Movie (Mondesi's House)
Tim Lincecum Is A Wuss (Rumors and Rants)
The Army-Navy Game Is On The Move (Merkin Sports)
Cricket Players Are Pretty Badass (Blog of Hilarity)
Chris Snyder Has Some New Equipment To Use (AZ Sports Hub)
All Star Wives! (Rotohog)

ESPN's Jayson Stark Hands Out 1/2 Season Honors

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:43:18 -0500

Check out ESPN contributor Jayson Stark's picks for the best and worst performances of the first half of the season. Look it over and weigh in on your thoughts:
NL MVP- Cards Albert Pujols
Honorable Mention-Uttley, Ramirez, Jones, Berkman, Uggla, Holliday
AL MVP- Rangers Ian Kinsler
Honorable Mention-Hamilton, Bradley, ARod, Quentin, Youkilis, Mauer, Drew
Least Valuable NL Player-Dodgers Andruw Jones
Runners-Up-Tulowitzki, F. Sanchez, Francoeur, K. Greene
Least Valuable AL Player- No Longer Mariner Richie Sexson
Runners-Up-E. Renteria, J. Vidro, K. Johijima, R. Cano
NL Cy Young-Giants Tim Lincecum
Runners Up-Volquez, Webb, Sheets, Zambrano, Haren, Lidge
Al Cy Young-Yankees Mariano Rivera
Runners Up-Duchscherer, Lee, R. Halladay, J. Saunders, KRod, J. Danks
NL Rookie-Cubs Geovany Soto
Honorable Mention-Votto, DeWitt, Jurrijens, Parra, Fukodome
AL Rookie-Rays evan Longoria
Honorable Mention-Ellsbury, D. Murphy, G. Smith, J. Chamberlain, N. Blackburn, J. Johnson, A. Aramirez

The curse of the MLB All-Star Game and San Francisco Giants' pitchers

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:39:44 -0500

There's a curse bigger than the Bambino, the Billy Goat and the Black Sox that no one seems to talk about. It's claimed yet another victim this year and still baseball fans choose to ignore it. I'm talking about the 'curse of the San Francisco Giants All-Star Pitchers.' (Or better known as COTSFGASP.) Since 1983, the All-Star Game has dominated Giants' pitchers like Chris Berman dominates co-workers. The curses' latest victim? Twenty-four year old Giants' phenom Tim Lincecum, who was forced to miss Tuesday night's game due to being hospitalized because of dehydration. Seriously, this curse isn't f'ning around. See below. 1983: Atlee Hammaker In perhaps the worst beating by an All-Star Game on a Giants' pitcher happened in 1983. Atlee Hammaker led the NL with a 2.25 ERA that season and was selected to the All-Star Game. He was then hammered for seven runs on six hits in just 0.2 innings and to make matters worse, he gave up the first grand slam in ASG history. Granted he was pitching with shoulder tendonitis but still – the COTSFGASP claims its first victim of the 1980s. 1989: Rick Reuschel In 1989, the Giants represented in the National League in the World Series. And in the 1989 All-Star Game, Rick Reuschel represented the National League as their starting pitcher. Only he didn't represent them very well and was shelled for two runs on three hits in just one inning of work. 1990: Jeff Brantley After the massive beat down the COTSFGASP laid on Reuschel the year before, Jeff Brantley was next. Brantley gave up the most hits (2) and runs (2) of any other pitcher in the National League. He lasted just 0.1 innings. 1993: John Burkett & Rod Beck John Burkett was an absolute disaster in the 1993 ASG, giving up three runs on four hits in just 0.2 innings of work. His teammate Rod Beck didn't fare much better, giving up one run on two hits in just one inning pitched. 1997: Shawn Estes In 1997, Shawn Estes won a career-best 19 games for the Giants, finished the year with a 3.18 ERA and he was selected to his first ASG. In the 1997 Midsummer Classic, Estes made an appearance in the seventh inning of a 1-1 tie. He proceeded to walk Bernie Williams and then one out later, Indians' catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. blasted an Estes' pitch over the left field wall that eventually gave the AL a 3-1 victory. Since then, Estes' ERA has never been lower than 4.00. 1998: Robb Nen Although it's fair to mention that just one run was earned, Robb Nen pitches just one inning and gives up three runs on three hits. 2002: Robb Nen In 2002, the NL was in the midst of a five-year losing streak, but led the AL 7-6 in the eighth inning. That is, until Robb Nen entered the game. Nen allowed the tying run to cross the plate in the eighth and the game eventually ended in a 7-7 tie. Fans were outraged…all because of Robb Nen. 2008: Tim Lincecum COTSFGASP never even allowed Tim Lincecum to reach the clubhouse after being selected to his first ASG. The media reported Lincecum had "flu-like symptoms", but everyone knows better. It was COTSFGASP that got Linc. Let these examples serve as a warning to future All-Star pitchers who represent the Giants. Do whatever you have to do – miss the team bus to the stadium, fake an injury or make up a death in the family. Just don't pitch in the All-Star Game because your career may never be the same. COTSFGASP is for real.

Quick Hits (Pre All-Star Game Edition)

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:47:00 -0500

-Tim Lincecum will miss tonight's all-star game after being taken to the hospital and treated for dehydration and flu-like systems.

-Espn.com is reporting that both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui could be out longer than expected after both revealed setbacks in their rehab.

-A Babe Ruth cap was auctioned off for a reported 328 thousand dollars

-Enjoy the game tonight, post your predictions of winner, MVP and the score!

Starting Pitchers Tabbed for All-Star Game

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:12:40 -0500

Ben Sheets and Cliff Lee have been named starters for Tuesday's All-Star Game, but are they the best options? Also, Carlos Marmol was named as an injury replacement, but he is undeserving of a spot ahead of several higher profile and some lower profile (and better) pitchers.

All-Star Break Awards--National League

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:44:09 -0500

It's that time of year, with no games to watch and no fantasy stats to rack up, when we are all Jonesing for baseball. To help us get through the next couple of days and fill the void, everyone likes to come out with their own mid-season awards. I guess I'll be like everyone else and do my own awards.

Cubs lose, take 4.5 game advantage into break

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:31:11 -0500

Not much to say here. Tim Lincecum was his usual self and that's not a good sign. 1 run in 8 innings. Dempster had one bad inning and the Cubs lost 4-2. They're 57-38 at the break, 4.5 games ahead of the Cardinals and 5 up on the Brewers. Avoid the extended slump in the 2nd half and it's hard to imagine the Cubs not winning the NL Central. That's it for baseball until Thursday (I refuse to consider the all-star game baseball). The Cubs open up the 2nd half in Houston on Friday and Soriano should return on Monday.

MLB Midseason Hardware

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:39:25 -0500

With today being the last day before the All-Star break, DraftNation's BJ Pickard outlines his awards for the first half of the year. AL MVP – Ian Kinsler, 2B, Texas Rangers Runner-up – Carlos Quentin, OF, Chicago White Sox AL LVP – Richie Sexson, 1B, Seattle Mariners Runner-up – Edgar Rentaria, SS, Detroit Tigers NL MVP – Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals Runner-up – Lance Berkman, 1B, Houston Astros NL LVP – Andruw Jones, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers Runner-up – Freddy Sanchez, 2B, Pittsburgh Pirates AL Cy Young – Cliff Lee, P, Cleveland Indians Runner-up – Justin Duchscherer, P, Oakland Athletics NL Cy Young – Ben Sheets, P, Milwaukee Brewers Runner-up – Tim Lincecum, P, San Francisco Giants AL Rookie of the Year – Evan Longoria, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays Runner-up – Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Boston Red Sox NL Rookie of the Year – Geovany Soto, C, Chicago Cubs Runner-up – Manny Parra, P, Milwaukee Brewers AL Manager of the Year – Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays Runner-up – Rod Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins NL Manager of the Year – Fredi Gonzalez, Florida Marlins Runner-up – Tony La Russa, St. Louis Cardinals AL Biggest Surprise – Josh Hamilton, OF, Texas Rangers AL Biggest Disappointment – Carlos Silva, P, Seattle Mariners NL Biggest Surprise – Edinson Volquez, P, Cincinnati Reds NL Biggest Disappointment – Barry Zito, P, San Francisco Giants AL Playoff Teams – Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins NL Playoff Teams – Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers

Giants at Cubs open game thread

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 11:34:09 -0500

B-REF PREVIEW | GAMEDAY | WEATHER | ACB CHAT ROOM Tim Lincecum vs. Cubs hitters: 11-62, 21 K Ryan Dempster vs. Giants hitters: .269/.382/.387 in 93 at-bats When and Where: 1:20, WGN The Cubs go for the sweep today in the final game of the first half. The Cubs extended their NL Central lead to 5.5 games over the Cardinals last night thanks to an amusing comeback by the Pirates. They lead the Brewers by 6 games. The Cubs have added 2.5 games to their lead since the Brewers traded for Sabathia even though the Wisconsin State Journal said the Brewers were expected to win the division after trading for him. The wind is blowing from left to right at 17 mph.