Angels pitcher Tim Lincecum is days away from a possible start Saturday versus Oakland. Lincecum is coming off of a recent start with triple-A Salt Lake City where he had a no-hitter through five innings. His final line included one hit, 7 shut-out innings, 8 strike-outs, and one walk. It took only 89 pitches to complete 7 innings.
Lincecum was expected to start on June 12th but a shaky start with triple-A pushed him to request another start with triple-A before joining the Angels.
In his three starts with the Bees, Lincecum posted a 2.65 ERA, a .77 WHIP, and struck out 19 batters in his 17 innings of work. While he may not be at CY Young, World Series winning form, his progress from each of his triple-A starts proves he may be ready for his start with the Angels.
With injuries to multiple pitchers, including Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney, and Nick Tropeano, and struggling starters including Jared Weaver, Hector Santiago, and Jhoulys Chacin, a fresh arm may be just what the Angels need.
Lincecum was unable to pitch after June 27th, 2015, and had surgery in September to repair a degenerative hip problem. Now, almost one year after his last start as a San Francisco Giant, we will soon see if he is back in his old form.