When the Giants brought Tim Lincecum in from the bullpen on Saturday night for Game 1 of the NLCS, the pitching rotation's fate seemed sealed: Barry Zito would start Game 4 and Lincecum would come out of the bullpen.
Not so fast, my friend. After Lincecum wasn't needed in Game 2, it now appears that Lincecum will start Game 4 for the Giants.
"That's fair to say," Bochy said when asked about Lincecum starting.
Lincecum's been a gem from the bullpen this offseason, stepping in a huge way during the NLDS and again in Game 1.
His attitude towards coming out of the bullpen's been particularly impressive given, you know, his two-time Cy Young status.
"I just want to help the team win," he said. "I don't want to have a growing expectation of starting and then not start. I just want to do what they want me to do."
If Lincecum comes through the way he has during his career for most of the postseason, he'll be a huge boon for the Giants. He'll either be coming into a 1-2 deficit or a 2-1 lead depending on how Matt Cain deals on Wednesday night.
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As for Game 5 -- that's up in the air. Bochy indicated that it could be Madison Bumgarner or Barry Zito.
"This will be a decision that won't be made until after Game 4," Bochy said.
Whoever it is, the hope for the Giants is that they'll be pitching to push the Giants into the World Series, on the back of a big game from Lincecum.
