Giants notes: Lincecum is no baby
By Andrew Baggarly | Bay Area News Group
SAN DIEGO – Tim Lincecum doesn't want to be treated like a baby down the stretch, even though the Giants are out of contention.
Babies don't win Cy Young awards.
"I want to go out there as many times as possible," Lincecum said. "What's that word they use – babying? I'm not really in favor of that. If you want to bench press 200 pounds, it won't help to keep lifting 150 over and over."
Giants Manager Bruce Bochy concurred, saying the club wouldn't shut down Lincecum in late August as they did when he was a rookie last year.
"We'll watch him as we go along," Bochy said. "But no, he'll stay out there."
Lincecum likely would be listed in the top three of most Cy Young ballots, if not rank as the favorite. He would become just the second Giants pitcher in franchise history to win the award, joining Mike McCormick in 1967.
In recent years, Shawn Estes and Jason Schmidt entered August as the clear Cy Young frontrunners, only to fizzle over the final two months.
But Lincecum appears to be gaining steam. He has struck out 24 over his past two starts to wrest the major league lead away from CC Sabathia.
Lincecum said he isn't shooting for 200 innings or any number for that matter. He just wants to take the ball every fifth day – and in between, too, if the club would let him.
"Oh, I'd love to," he said. "The 'baby' thing . . . I don't like it because I'd love to pitch in every game if I could."
Lincecum came out of Friday night's game after seven innings because of leg cramps, but said he was fine and planned to throw his usual side session today.
• Triple-A shortstop Brian Bocock will miss the remainder of the season due to numbness caused by circulatory damage in his hand, club officials said. Bocock, who hasn't played since June 21, is taking blood thinners and other medication to restore flow; the club suspects that heavy smokeless tobacco use contributed to the problem.
If the Giants don't select Bocock to participate in the Arizona Fall League, he would be expected to take part in the club's instructional camp in October, officials said.
• Right-hander Keiichi Yabu threw 49 pitches in a two-inning rehab appearance at Triple-A Fresno on Friday. Bochy said Yabu could be activated prior to Monday's game, though there are no obvious candidates to demote.
• A New York Mets official is following the Giants and has submitted a recommendation to acquire Rich Aurilia. The Brooklyn native is likely one of the first names the Giants submitted through waivers; if so, he would clear on Tuesday.
Check out Andrew Baggarly's Extra Baggs blog at www.mercextra.com/blogs/
extrabaggs. Contact him at abaggarly@mercurynews.com.
Andrew Baggarly | San Francisco Giants reporter
Andrew Baggarly covers the San Francisco Giants for the Bay Area News Group.
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