Angels report: Tim Lincecum thinks he can fix whatâs wrong
Wherever he pitches, Tim Lincecum looks for the radar readings after many of his fastballs, hoping to see 92 mph pop up on some horizontal scoreboard somewhere.
âThatâs the kind of thing that puts a trigger in my head,â he said this week. âIt hits like a light and it says, âHey, thereâs promise. Thereâs potential. Itâs still in there.ââ
When he was a 23-year-old rookie sensation in San Francisco, Lincecum once fired a fastball 99.9 mph. Nine years later, his goal is lower. But he couldnât once touch 89 in his last start, and fluctuating velocity and command of his fastball is perhaps the primary reason he has struggled to an 8.70 earned-run average in seven starts as an Angel.
âItâs tough, because you have games when youâre throwing 84-87, and you prepared the same way as games when youâre throwing 88-91,â Lincecum said. âAnd itâs even on pitches where Iâm not trying as hard as other pitches, when I throw my hardest and itâs coming out like doo-doo.â
Lincecum does not know exactly what all is ailing him. He still believes it is something fixable by work and time, in tandem. He knows he needs to make more in-game adjustments than he used to and listen to what the readings are telling him.
What has not changed is his demeanor. Over his five weeks with the team, Lincecumâs teammates have remarked on the rarity he presents: a continually smiling, frequently encouraging former star.
âHe has a naturally positive attitude, which is I think what every great player has,â closer Huston Street said. âBut heâs also extremely competitive, and a lot of times when youâre competitive and youâre not getting the results you want, you turn bitter. He hasnât.â
When he won the National League Cy Young award in consecutive seasons, Lincecum went from Bay Area cult hero to fleshed-out superstar, mostly because he seemed to generally behave like a normal, humorous human. He retained those traits during his decline phase as a Giant, and, now, as an Angel.
âMost everybody here has more personality than they let on,â Street said. âGuys are guarded because that same personality, everyone will hold it against you if you just have a bad six weeks and let the team down. Everyone will be like, âDude, Iâm so tired of his act.â
âWe love his act.â
Even in the face of failure, Lincecum hops and jumps around the Angelsâ clubhouse. He watches his teammates play cards intently. He jokes about their fashion sense. After 10 months away from the routine of major league baseball, he is happy to be back, for however long he can stay.
âYou try to enjoy parts of the game that you didnât necessarily enjoy earlier in your career,â he said. âYou get stuck with one team for so long that itâs hard to believe youâre ever going to fit in with another. Iâve been pleasantly surprised, not because I thought the guys were going to be negative or anything, but I thought the way Iâd handle it would be different. Iâve surprised myself in that regard.â
Short hops
Gregorio Petit started in left field for the Angels on Wednesday, his first start in the outfield in his 1,296th professional game. âŠThe Angels have a going-away gift ready for Boston designated hitter David Ortiz, who will play his final series in Anaheim this weekend.
pedro.moura@latimes.com
Twitter: @pedromoura
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