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manager Bruce Bochy came to get him with two out in the sixth. Lincecum (2-7) exited to polite applause that barely obscured theanxieties felt by Giants fans and those that surely must bedescending upon the Giants as an organization. This was SanFrancisco's eighth consecutive loss in games started by Lincecum.The Giants this season are 2-11 in his starts, 32-16 when somebodyelse takes the ball. The man who started on Opening Day is now the fifth-best starter ina five-man rotation. The unlikeliest pitching beast we ever sawcommand a major league mound is now a sub-mediocre pitcher merelyhoping to put a pitch where he wants. Yet he's Lincecum, if only in name. He's the most popular Giantsince Barry Bonds. Upon announcement of the lineup Sunday, Lincecumreceived the loudest ovation of all. He won the N.L. Cy Young Awardin each of his first two full seasons. He has an active streak offour consecutive All-Star games. The Giants wouldn't have reached,much less won, the only World Series title in San Francisco historywithout him. But Lincecum's starts, once greeted like a Bay Area holiday, havebecome dreaded. All those opinions and explanations andrationalizations behind Barry Zito's failures have moved ontoLincecum. "His game," Bochy said, "was similar to his previous games. He hadhis ups and downs." Lincecum's "ups" were the first two batters of the game and thesecond inning. His downs were most everything else. Though his fastball regularly registered in the low- and mid-90s,it too often strayed from the desired location. Lincecum missedoften, and sometimes badly. Trailing 3-0 with two out in the sixth, one out away from achievinghis third "quality start" of the season, Lincecum faced Rangersslugger Josh Hamilton, who whacked a two-run double to put the gameout of reach against an abysmal Giants offense. "Left a changeup up," Lincecum said ruefully. Lincecum has earned a lot of rope. He deserves considerablepatience, for during the best of times in San Francisco, he hasbeen the face of the franchise. During the relatively good times of 2012, however, Lincecum hasbeen the weak link. "We keep saying (Lincecum is) close," Bochy said. "I still believethat." Depends on what your definition of "close." Lincecum may not be farfrom meeting the major league standard, but he's nowhere near thestandard he has set for himself. His ERA has reached 6.00. What, then, do the Giants do? Hug Timmy? Skip a start? Request thathe visit a qualified professional who can "get inside" his mind? They owe it to themselves, and to Lincecum, to try anything anyonethinks might have an even chance of working. His next start is scheduled for Saturday at Seattle, where Lincecumhas spent most of his life and still resides. It's his comfortzone. It's a place where he should be profoundly focused andexquisitely detailed. Give him the ball. See how he responds. No matter how good he might be at Safeco Field or in any otherstart this season, Lincecum's veneer is stripped. His body mayharbor a terrific pitcher, but boy wonder has vanished. Contact Monte Poole at . Follow him at Twitter.com/1montepoole . The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Laser Level Instrument , China Surveying Tripods, and more. For more , please visit Aluminum Camera Tripod today!
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