CSN: Lincecum scraps slider to save elbow

PHOENIX ? Tim Lincecum pronounced himself ready for the season, even though his line score wasn?t pretty in a 7-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at Maryvale.

And even if Lincecum isn?t throwing his slider.

The pitch was key to Lincecum?s turnaround from a wretched, 0-5 August to a hair-flipping, World Series hero in 2010. But he?s leaving it in his back pocket to start the season. He said he doesn?t need the extra wrinkle.

But there?s another reason he?ll limit himself to fastballs, curves and his signature split-change when he starts Friday?s season opener at Arizona.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged the slider isn?t so friendly on the elbow, and Lincecum is trying to pace himself this season.

?He just wanted to back off,? Bochy said. ?It?s a long season and he has a lot of innings in him. It probably puts a little more stress on his arm. He probably wants to wait to break it out later.?

Asked a follow-up question about Lincecum's health, Bochy insisted that the two-time Cy Young award winner has no physical issues. It's true, Lincecum hasn?t thrown hard this spring. But that is not atypical. He often starts out slow before zipping 94 mph on the gun when the season begins. More important, he says, is location of his two-seamer so he can get ahead of hitters and try for more efficient, contact outs.

It's still cause for concern, though. (That will always be true for Lincecum. People will always be at the ready to predict a breakdown. Story of his life.)

Lincecum did not appear concerned as he prepared to join the team flight back to the Bay Area. Although he struggled to get his fastball down all spring, he threw all heaters in his final two innings and said it?s the best he?s felt.

?Good, fine, everything felt the same,? Lincecum said. ?Best the fastball location has been all spring. I feel ready to get back out there and pitch in a real game. I?m out there pitching for a purpose, and that?s to win.?

A few defensive plays weren?t made behind him ? including one exchange between Lincecum and first baseman Brandon Belt ? and that contributed to a linescore that was messier than it should?ve been. Lincecum gave up two doubles to Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun also hit a two-run double as the Brewers scored six runs on eight hits and one walk in 4 2/3 innings.

Lincecum, who was only scheduled to throw five innings, recorded four strikeouts and also hit Weeks with a pitch.

He ends his spring with a 5.70 ERA.

He will match up against Arizona?s Ian Kennedy at Chase Field on Friday. Kennedy was 3-0 with a 1.22 ERA in five starts against the Giants last season.

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The Giants were 16-14-3 in Cactus League play, if you're keeping track of such things.

One reason I don't: Arizona was 12-25 last spring.

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Even in the last Cactus League exhibition Sunday, Bochy, the coaching staff and front office were still trying to evaluate players as they piece together the opening-day roster.

In the case of Joaquin Arias, it was not great. His middle-infield defense has kept him under consideration, and by all indications, he has been in competition with Brett Pill for one roster spot.

But Arias hasn?t looked as steady at third base, and he had a chalk-outline kind of afternoon there Sunday. Seemed everything was just out of his reach.

Pill is no great shakes at third base, either. But his ability to back up Pablo Sandoval would be another notch in his utility belt as the Giants try to justify carrying his right-handed power bat.

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You?d better believe the Giants had a purpose by having Hector Sanchez catch Lincecum, too.

They need to figure out if Sanchez?s defense has made enough progress to justify putting him on the roster as Buster Posey's backup. That way, their lineup wouldn?t suffer as badly on the many occasions when Posey needs a break from behind the plate.

Yes, the front office and coaches agree with you: A lower third of the lineup with Emmanuel Burriss, Brandon Crawford and either Chris Stewart or Eli Whiteside is not tantalizing in the slightest.

But they also have to do right by this pitching staff, and if Sanchez isn?t ready defensively, they have to pay consideration to that.

Sanchez looked rough at times while receiving Lincecum, as most catchers do. Timmy is tough to catch. Sanchez was charged with one passed ball and let one changeup in the dirt get past him for a wild pitch. He also dropped a foul pop. But I?ll give him a break on the drop; it was especially windy and this is one of the worst sun fields in Arizona.

Sanchez also blocked several other curves and changeups in the dirt, as Bochy pointed out.

?He did fine, and Timmy looked comfortable throwing to him,? Bochy said.

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Final predictions after gleaning a bit more intelligence from sources today: Dan Otero makes it over Steve Edlefsen. No Eli Whiteside. No Brett Pill. Yes, Brandon Belt. And the final spot will come down to Joaquin Arias vs. a third catcher. If no Arias, then Chris Stewart and Hector Sanchez both make the club.

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Time for me to begin my two-day exploration of I-10 and I-5, in that order. Before I turn out the lights in Maryvale, though ? consider this:

The opening day roster and lineup are important decisions. It is an honor for the players. Those who make it are elated and those who don?t are crushed. The decisions give you a window into what the front office and coaching staff thinks of their players. (And another thing: The executives and coaches aren?t always in agreement.)

But opening day, for all the hoopla, really is just one game out of 162. The starting nine that day will be exactly that: The lineup for that day. Things change, injuries happen. Evaluations are being made all the time. If Angel Pagan is the center fielder on Friday, it doesn?t mean he can have a .221 on-base percentage on April 30 and will continue to be the starting center fielder. (It's true. Pagan has a .221 on-base percentage this spring.)

Same goes for Nate Schierholtz, Emmanuel Burriss, and yes, Aubrey Huff.

You will see Belt this year. I can?t say for certain that you?ll see him starting on opening day. But he?ll be a factor in 2012. A potentially big one, too.

Let?s just summarize my point this way: See if you can guess the opening-day lineup for your 2010 World Series champion San Francisco Giants. Now scroll down and count how many you got right. (No peeking!)

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CF Aaron Rowand
SS Edgar Renteria
3B Pablo Sandoval
1B Aubrey Huff
LF Mark DeRosa
C Bengie Molina
RF John Bowker
2B Juan Uribe
P Tim Lincecum

Bonus points if you knew that DeRosa was the only Giant to homer on that opening day in Houston. Extra credit if you knew it would be his only homer as a Giant.

As I've often said, if you predicted on opening day of 2010 that the Giants would win the World Series, you are allowed to take no credit. That team didn't win it. Another one did.

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