Tim Lincecum Photos

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum works against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a baseball game in Denver, Saturday, May 18, 2013. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Over at Getting Blanked, there's an interview with Tim Lincecum that's well worth your time. Lincecum talks with Drew Fairservice about his approach to pitching (Lincecum's, not Fairservice's, which is horrible). Buried at the bottom, though, is a cheeky quote about Madison Bumgarner: He gets a little happy with that slider but he gets a lot of outs with it. It’s one of those things, like (Greg) Maddux said: if they can’t hit it, I’m just going to keep throwing it. A little happy with that slider! Lincecum's not off, though. Bumgarner throws a ton of sliders. Here's his pitch breakdo...

The Braves are a great matchup for Tim Lincecum. They don't quite swing at everything, but they are, as a group, hitters that play into his hand quite well. In case you didn't know, they strike out a lot (#2 in all of baseball). Now, Grant has reiterated that Lincecum's more of a thrower than a pitcher right now, so, it wouldn't be fair to say that he pitches the Braves better than other teams, but I think it's fair to say that his location mistakes have a better chance of sneaking past them on account of the changes in speed. The pitch speed could have a lot to do with the game Posey ...

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum (55) throws to the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Sunday, May 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum (55) throws to the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Sunday, May 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

I've wanted to make love to a lot of different pitches in my time. Like, a ton. You don't want to browse through my Chrome history. Tonight's unrequited love was the first pitch Tim Lincecum threw to Chase Utley in the first inning. It was 94, with movement that brought it back over the plate. Utley lifted his hands, and the pitch went right under them, back into the strike zone. It was an unambiguous strike. And it wasn't anything a hitter would swing at. It was pitching. Remember that? Pitching. It was throwing a baseball with a plan. The first pitch sets up the second pitch, which ...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Chase Utley and Ryan Howard homered to help the Phillies beat Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants 6-2 on Tuesday night.

Philadelphia Phillies' Chase Utley, right, is congratulated bu Michael Young (10) after Utley hit a home run off San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum in the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 7, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum sits in the dugout during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, May 1, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Spring training is, of course, the time for optimism. Like New Years Day, it's also the time for pronouncements. 'I'm going to learn that changeup finally,' 'I've got a new grip on my cutter,' and 'I'm going to steal more' might only be a rung or two above 'I'm in the best shape of my life,' but at least they offer us a little more window into the gears and bolts of trying to better yourself in baseball. If any Giant needed a fresh start, and a new *something* after last year's dream run, it was Tim Lincecum. And, since it wasn't 'I'm going to be the closer,' it probably had something ...

Current Series Padres lead the series 2-0 Fri 04/26 WP: Andrew Cashner (1 - 1) SV: Huston Street LP: Tim Lincecum (2 - 1) 1 - 2 loss Sat 04/27 WP: Joe Thatcher (1 - 0) LP: Sergio Romo (1 - 2) 7 - 8 loss San Francisco Giants McCovey Chronicles @ San Diego Padres Gaslamp Ball Sunday, Apr 28, 2013, 1:10 PM PDT Petco Park Ryan Vogelsong vs Jason Marquis Sunny. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-10...

Current Series Padres lead the series 1-0 Fri 04/26 WP: Andrew Cashner (1 - 1) SV: Huston Street LP: Tim Lincecum (2 - 1) 1 - 2 loss San Francisco Giants McCovey Chronicles @ San Diego Padres Gaslamp Ball Saturday, Apr 27, 2013, 5:40 PM PDT Petco Park Sunny. Winds blowing in from left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 65. Complete Coverage > Sun 04/28 1:10 PM PDT 1. Angel Pagan - CF 2. Marco Scutaro - 2B 3. Pablo Sandoval - 3B 4. Bus...

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum works against the San Diego Padres in the first inning of baseball game in San Diego, Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum works against the San Diego Padres in the first inning of baseball game in San Diego, Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

Consistency is one of those words that gets thrown around to the point that it loses all meaning. "He needs to be more consistent", "consistency counts", "I'm afraid, Lord Crawley, that he is insistent that you be consistent"... So when the recent worries and criticisms of Tim Lincecum essentially boiled down to "the stuff is there, but his release point is inconsistent" I worried that the focal point would become just that: consistency. Because let's face it: Tim Lincecum is getting older. While using his body like a whip or a hinge or widget looks great and has led to a lot of succes...