We already knew that all five Giants starting pitchers would be on the postseason roster, but who would actually be in the postseason rotation was up for grabs, with Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito and Ryan Vogelsong vying for two spots.
Make it one: Lincecum confirmed on Sunday that he's going to be in the rotation when the postseason kicks off, but he's not sure exactly when he'll be pitching in the postseason.
“I’m okay with anything,” he said. “As long as I can help out the team in any way, that’s all I’m looking for.”
In years past, there wouldn't have been a question and Lincecum would've been the No. 1 starter for the Giants. They'd max out the number of times he'd be able to pitch in the postseason and ride their ace to, hopefully, a few victories in the playoffs.
Not so much this year. But at least Lincecum gets that.
“I understand that with the way that I have been going this year, that (being the No. 1 guy) is not going to be the case in the postseason,” Lincecum said. “If I can find my way in there and get what I can, when I can, that’s all that matters to me.”
We noted that Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner are the clear-cut starters at the top of the rotation. The guess here is the final rotation goes: Cain, Bumgarner, Lincecum, Barry Zito.
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That leaves Ryan Vogelsong as the guy in mop-up/injury duty as a reliever. It's possible that role could change depending on how Zito and Lincecum pitch.
But by giving Timmy the nod here, it's clear that Bochy still has confidence in the guy who used to be his ace but struggled as one of baseball's worst first-half starters in 2012.
“He’s tough mentally,” Bochy said. “He finds a way.”
Lincecum stepping up and providing some quality starts would be huge. And if Lincecum finds a way to recreate his 2010 postseason form, it'll be gravy.
