Tim Lincecum Throws Second No Hitter

Tim Lincecum has thrown his second career no hitter against the Padres. The first time he pitched a no hitter Lincecum was in San Diego and threw a career high amount of pitches at 148 in part due to 13 strikeouts and 4 walks. This time he threw a significantly lower amount of pitches at 113. In this no hitter Lincecum recorded 6 strikeouts and allowed just one walk. Lincecum not only pitched a no hitter, but he got 2 hits and scored 2 runs, followed by a walk in the 8th inning. He did it all on this special Wednesday afternoon.

Lincecum's season seems to be a repeat of his 2013 season with plenty of ups and downs. Last season he finished with a 4.37 ERA. This season he now has a 4.42 ERA with a 6-5 record and 83 strikeouts. The small framed right hander now has 2 Cy Young Awards, 2 World Series, and 2 no hitters, giving him a very nice track record.

2014 has been a very exciting season and has already featured three no hitters, all three coming from the National League West. The outing by Josh Beckett against the Philadelphia Phillies, the near perfect game against the Colorado Rockies by Clayton Kershaw, and now Tim Lincecum's no hitter against the San Diego Padres. It is safe to say the National League West is one of the most exciting divisions to watch. The San Francisco Giants lead the Dodgers by just 3.5 games. It will be very entertaining to watch down the stretch, and Lincecum will be a very big part of it.

The San Francisco Giants

The Giants quickly fixed the controversy on whether or not they were going to resign Tim Lincecum this off season by signing him before he can reach the open market. On paper the Giants do not seem to have a team that will blow you away, but they always seem to find a way to win. The Giants won the World Series in 2010 and 2012 and if the current trend continues 2014 should also be their year.

The Giants made an addition to their lineup by adding Michael Morse, but he is likely to play against left handed pitching and hit off the bench. Other than Morse the Giants lineup will look strikingly similar to 2013. The stud in their lineup is always Buster Posey followed by Hunter Pence who anchors the lineup with clutch hits and smart decisions. The following is how I would make the lineup for the 2014 season, adjacent to each name is the batting side, position, and their OPS+ for 2013.

1. S. Angel Pagan         CF 116 OPS+    
2. R. Marco Scuttaro    2B 112 OPS+
3. R. Buster Posey         C 138 OPS+
4. R. Hunter Pence        RF 136 OPS+
5. L. Brandon Belt         1B 142 OPS+
6. S. Pablo Sandoval     3B 119 OPS+
7. L. Gregor Blanco       LF 102 OPS+
9. L. Brandon Crawford SS 96 OPS+

The highlight of the Giants' 2014 season. Lincecum and
Posey after Lincecum's no hitter in San Diego

Pitching has always been an area of expertise in San Francisco. Playing in the spacious AT&T Park fly balls rule the day making mistakes negligible. Although Tim Lincecum's Cy Young days may be in the past, new faces like Madison Bumgarner and Matt Cain rule the day. 2013 was not a great season for pitching, which provides reason for why they missed the playoffs. In the off season the Giants added a veteran presence in Tim Hudson. The fifth spot in the rotation will likely be rounded off by Ryan Vogelsong. The following is the projected rotation for 2014 along with the pitching arms and ERA+ for 2013.

1. L. Madison Bumgarner 120 ERA+
2. R. Matt Cain  83 ERA+
3. R. Tim Hudson 97 ERA+
4. R. Tim Lincecum 76 ERA+
5. R. Ryan Vogelson 58 ERA+

The bullpen for the Giants is one of their strong suits, with closer Sergio Romo finishing games, and setup man Santiago Casilla pitching the 8th inning. George Kontos handles the middle relief relativly well along with the left duo Javier Vasquez and Jeremy Affeldt. Other than those five names, the rest of Giants bullpen can go anyway. The long relief role is always up in the air.

Tim Hudson and Carlos Ruiz Sign

They were not in my top 25 free agent signings, but they have both found homes. Tim Hudson is heading back to the Bay Area with a 2 year $23 Million deal from the San Francisco Giants and Carlos Ruiz is returning back to Philadelphia on a 3 year $23 Million deal.

Tim Hudson returns to the Bay Area

Tim Hudson was injured for a large portion of the 2013 season, so the Giants scored a bargain. Hudson had a 55% ground ball rate which is below his career average, but is still great for any pitcher. His 26% fly ball rate is great for AT&T park and even if that rate were to go up, Hudson would continue to find success.

The Giants lead the league in signing free agents named Tim in this off season. Hudson and Lincecum will make up a rotation that may find much success in 2014. Bumgarner, Cain, Lincecum, Hudson, and the mysterious fifth starter will take the mound in San Fran all summer long. Josh Johnson personally reached out to the Giants and the Padres, because he wanted to pitch there, and was willing to take a one year deal to rejuvenate his career. Josh Johnson, Bronson Arroyo, or Ryan Vogelsong may get the role of fifth starter for the Giants.

Carlos Ruiz played 92 games for the Phillies in 2013 and secures a very valuable position as a right handed bat in their lefty heavy lineup. Ruiz's batting average was .325 in 2012 and plummeted to .268 in 2013. His OBP also followed a 70 point drop. The Phillies maintain a catcher that could handle their rotation, but they have a huge question mark for what offense Ruiz could provide.
 

No No Timmy

One of my favorite pitchers has finally completed his share of history. He is a two time Cy Young Award winner, a two time World Series Champion, and now he has thrown a no hitter. I'm talking the Freakshow himself, Tim Lincecum. It was just a regular Saturday night start against the Padres, but 148 pitches later Petco Park and the Giants went wild.

Although Lincecum and the Giants have been short of success this season, this may be the turning point of their season. With a fantastic pitching performance
from Lincecum and sending four players to the All Star Game, along with the upcoming trade deadline, the Giants should get ready for their run to the playoffs. I predicted they would make the playoffs, and i'm sticking with it.

Lincecum will have more than a week to recover from the 148 pitch performance, but it doesn't even bother me that much. I've seen Lincecum throw over 130 pitches before and an extra 15 shouldn't faze him. He was mechanically sound the whole game and didnt try to throw any harder as it when on. He actually relied more on his breaking and off speed pitches in the final three innings more than his fastball, making him nearly unpredictable.

San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers

I will be evaluating teams in pairs or trios and I thought the first two should be the National League and American League champions respectively.

The San Francisco Giants put together their team of oddballs every year and they are usually underrated. A major factor of their winning formula is team chemistry. With the addition of Hunter Pence this past season that chemistry has sky rocketed. He was a major reason why they won the World Series.

Playing in one of the most beautiful and largest ballparks in baseball the Giants have one of the best pitching rotations in baseball. The key to their success has always been suppressing the other team. They can't win if they can't score.

Tim Lincecum had the most horrendous season of his career. With a 5.18 ERA in one of the largest ballparks his ERA+ was just 67. That is well below average. In the playoffs he was pushed into the bullpen and ended up being a difference maker. I expect that Lincecum and the Giants have worked this off season and will continue to work on fixing whatever the problem is. I expect Lincecum to have a bounce back season, but if he does not I expect the Giants to put him into the bullpen. The rest of the rotation looks as such:

R. Matt Cain: 2.79 ERA
L. Madison Bumgarner: 3.37 ERA
R. Ryan Vogelsong: 3.37 ERA
R. Tim Lincecum 5.18 ERA
L. Barry Zito: 4.15 ERA

The Giants' lineup was anchored by National League MVP, Buster Posey. Full of characters that the fans love the Giants' lineup is both productive and entertaining. I will be using OPS+ which is on base percentage plus slugging percentage fixed to compare the player to league average and the ballpark he plays in.

1. S. Angel Pagan 121 OPS+
2. R. Marco Scuttaro 99 OPS+
3. S. Pablo Sandoval 124 OPS+
4. R. Buster Posey 172 OPS+
5. R. Hunter Pence 103 OPS+
6. L. Brandon Belt 124 OPS+
7. L Gregor Blonco 95 OPS+
8. L. Brandon Crawford 85 OPS+

The bullpen for the Giants is held down by Sergio Romo, Santiago Cassilla, and Jeremy Afeldt. Brian Wilson may return to the Giants in 2013 if he is willing to take on a lesser salary.

I project 94 wins for the Giants in 2013

The Detroit Tigers became World Series favorites when they signed Prince Fielder last year, but now they are even stronger than before. They will get Victor Martinez back as their every day designated hitter, Torii Hunter as their right fielder, Omar Infante as their second baseman, and Anibal Sanchez as their number four starter.

The American League triple crown winner and MVP will man third base for the Tigers. Miguel Cabrera is a force to be reckoned with. Now he is in an even more protected lineup. The sky is the limit for the numbers he may put up. Here is how the Tigers lineup may look in 2013:

1. R. Austin Jackson 130 OPS+
2. R. Torii Hunter 132 OPS+
3. R. Miguel Cabrera 165 OPS+
4. L. Prince Fielder 152 OPS+
5. S. Victor Martinez  131 OPS+* 2011
6. R. Alex Avila 100 OPS+
7. R. Jhonny Peralta 85 OPS+
8. L. Brennan Boesch 77 OPS+
9. R. Omar Infante 93 OPS+

The Tigers are credited for having one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Some say it is the best, but I wouldn't go that far. I think it is top ten, but number one. Anchored by Justin Verlander it is as follows:

1. R. Justin Verlander 2.64 ERA
2. R. Rick Porcello 4.59 ERA
3. R. Max Scherzer 3.47 ERA
4. R. Anibal Sanchez 3.86 ERA
5. L. Drew Smyly 3.99 ERA

The pitching rotation is strong and for the most part young. These five guys can match any rotation in a five game series, but the bullpen is a bit messy. Jose Valverde seems to be departing Detroit to find a new home. He had a terrible season and the Tigers have faith in young pitching prospect Bruce Rondon. They think the flame throwing right hander can handle the ninth inning in the big league. Octavio Dotel, Phil Coke, and Joaquin Benoit hold down the late innings in Detroit and did a pretty good job with it 2012.

I project 93 wins in 2013 for the Tigers

Goose Eggs

Madison Bumgarner pitches a 9 inning shutout against
the Reds to move the streak to 4 games without
allowing a run

The Giants' pitching rotation has been on a tremendous streak as of late. They swept the Dodgers and took first place yesterday with a win over the Reds. The catch is over those 4 games they have not allowed a run. Barry Zito, Ryan Vogelsong, Tim Lincecum, and Madison Bumgarner all pitched shutouts in their respected games. The bullpen has been a help to. Santiago Casilla and Sergio Romo have made the back end of the bullpen lights out even with the absence of Brain Wilson. Matt Cain gets the mound tonight. Let us see if he can make the streak 5 games without allowing a run.

Nova-CAIN

Matt Cain must have used some novacaine on the Astros, because he made their bats numb. A perfect game for Matt Cain. The fifth no hitter (not including the Mariners' combined no hitter) of the 2012 season and the second perfect game. The Giants' right hander struck out 14 batters and didn't give up a hit or a walk over 9 innings pitched.

Not only did Matt Cain dominate the Astros he also got a hit and scored a run. This guy can do it all. Congrats to Matt Cain and the San Francisco Giants.

Cain also got a little help from his defense with 3 defensive plays that were almost hits. To view all 27 outs and the amazing plays click HERE

Extensions, Extensions, Extensions

On Monday Matt Cain and Joey Votto signed extensions with their teams. Joey Votto's extension was colossal, a 10 year 225 million dollar extension. Matt Cain's deal was 5 years 112.5 million dollars with a club option for 2013.

Matt Cain has pitched effectively for The Giants over his 6 complete seasons. He averages 212 innings every season with an average ERA of 3.39. Although he pitches a lot of innings and gives up few runs he has a losing record due to The Giants' ineffective offense. This contract will have Matt Cain signed through the prime of his career. His average war by season is 3.9. If you put 5 million dollars per win Matt Cain is earning just about what he deserves. Through the years where he is expected to be at his best The Giants win with this contract.

Joey Votto will be playing with The Reds for a very long time. Votto has 2 all star appearances an MVP award and a Gold Glove Award in just four full seasons in the MLB. Votto is destined to be a star. With a 152 OPS+ over that time period Votto is in a category with players like Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard and Adrian Gonzalez. In recent years Votto's WAR has been through the roof, with a 6.5 WAR last year and a 5.9 WAR in 2010. Votto will be signed until he is in his late 30's. He will be signed through the prime of his career, but also well after that. Will Votto be effective later in his career we don't know, but most likely he wont be. The important part is The Reds have a player locked up for a long time like Barry Larkin.

The San Francisco Giants

The Giants finished 2011 with a record of 86-79. It was a definite downgrade from when they won the World Series in 2010. They still kept their phenomenal pitching, but need help with offense.

The pitching for The Giants speaks for itself. Here are the 2011 stats of the projected 2012 starting rotation:

Tim Lincecum: 13-14, 2.74 ERA, 217 innings, 220 strikeouts.
Matt Cain: 12-11, 2.88 ERA, 221 innings, 179 strikeouts.
Madison Bumgarner: 13-13, 3.21 ERA, 204 innings, 191 strikeouts.
Ryan Vogelsong: 13-7, 2.71 ERA, 179 innings, 139 strikeouts.
Barry Zito: 3-4, 5.87 ERA, 53 innings, 32 strikeouts.

If the Giants can find someone else to be the number five starter they will again have one of the best pitching rotations in baseball. The Giants traded Jonathon Sanchez for Melky Cabrera earlier this off season. Sanchez had a 4.26 ERA and 101 innings pitched. Melky Cabrera played in 155 games, hit 18 home runs, 87 RBI's and an 121 OPS+ for The Kansas City Royals. Seeing how the giants can barely score 3 runs a game, this trade benefits them immensely.  

Buster Posey will be back for the 2012 season, which will help The Giants a lot. With Posey, Sandoval, Cabrera, and Aubrey Huff if he can be himself again, The Giants may be the comeback team for 2012. They traded their top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler for Carlos Beltran, who is now with The Cardinals. That has to be the worst trade of 2011. I would have kept Wheeler until the off season and made a trade for someone worth getting. If the Giants can score more runs in a game they can have four 15-20 game winners.

As for the bullpen: If you have a personality like Brian Wilson who needs anyone else, but Sergio Romo is also sporting a beard and a 1.50 ERA over 48 innings. Javier Lopez is a lefty who did well as a reliever also. He had a 2.72 ERA over 53 innings pitched. The Giants have a relatively good bullpen.

The Giants will be a contender for the NL West with the Diamond Backs. It will be a nice race to watch, because it will be so close.