That's Right Baby

Angel Pagan is excited. And damnit, he should be. Bruce Bochy gave the ball to Barry Zito yesterday, and He did his best to throw the game away (Although Bruce can now claim that the Giants have won Zito's last 12 starts when he calls upon him for the next elimination game). In the fourth inning after Jose Mijares struck out Joey Votto, Bochy brought in The Freak. Lincecum came in and promptly struck out Ryan Ludwick to end the fourth, then would pitch four more innings, striking out six and allowing only one run. Looks like someone felt like they had a point to make.


But Pagan isn't excited because of Tim's performance He's happy about Timmy's availability. When asked after the game yesterday if he would be available for game five, Tim had this to say:



That's right baby. Timmy knows what is on the line. And like a good soldier, he is ready to contribute in any way possible. And with Tim all of a sudden turning into a lights out middle relief pitcher, how could you not go to him should Matt Cain falter. So far, in 6.1 innings of relief, Tim has given up one run on three hits, walked nobody and struck out eight. Small sample size, of course, but Lincecum's ego took a huge hit this season. And somewhere in between bong tokes, Tim Lincecum remembered that he is Tim friggin Lincecum, former Cy Young award winner and poster boy for the "Fans Who Love Pitchers Just Under Six Feet" club.

With Cain on the mound for the deciding game five, Tim could probably sit back, do some back flips in the bullpen and then relax the game away given Matt's track record for excellence. There's also a good chance that should the Giants win tonight and move onto the NLCS, Bochy will most likely move Tim back into the rotation and bounce Zito into the LOOGY role that he probably should have been relegated to in the first place. So, giving Tim the night off so that his arm can be ready in five days is probably the "plan." But, if Cain turns into a pumpkin early in the game tonight, Tim is armed with his devastating changeup and a bottle of visine, ready to come in and save the day.