Monday's Mound Matchup
Cliff Lee, Texas Rangers vs. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
Cliff Lee (12-9, 3.18 ERA)
So, Cliff Lee is human after all. Now we get to see whether he can bounce back after his first playoff loss as he takes the hill in Game 5 against the San Francisco Giants.
He went into Game 1 with spectacular postseason numbers. Lee was 7-0 with a 1.26 ERA in eight previous postseason appearances, but then allowed seven runs (six earned) and eight hits over 4 2/3 innings in the 11-7 loss.
However, Lee isn’t a guy that rattles easily and took the beating in stride saying that location was his biggest issue. The Giants jumped on him early in the count all night and made him throw 32 pitches in the two-run third inning. Manager Ron Washington said that inning played a factor as Lee may have tired early before San Francisco put six runs on the board in the fifth.
“I get a chance to redeem myself against the team that actually put it to me pretty good last time,” Lee told reporters Sunday. “You know, I'm looking forward to it. I've been working hard and ready for it's basically the last start of the season for me, and I want to do everything I can to help this team win the World Series.”
Tim Lincecum (16-10, 3.43 ERA)
Now that Lincecum has his World Series jitters out of the way, it’s scary to think how good he might be in Game 5.
The right-hander admitted feeling a bit uneasy before Game 1’s start, but pitched well enough to help the Giants to a 11-7 victory. Lincecum went 5 2/3 innings allowing eight hits and four earned runs to outlast Cliff Lee. He struck out only three, which was his lowest punch-out total since he also struck out three back on Sept. 19 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The experience of being there is the big help," Lincecum told reporters Sunday. "Going through the lineup again knowing that you're pitching in another World Series game just eases the tension."
This time around he’s looking to paint the corners a bit better after saying that he left too many hittable pitches in the strike zone during Game 1.
"I just want to be more aggressive, of course," Lincecum added. "Quality of strikes as opposed to just throwing strikes."
Lincecum is now 3-1 in postseason play, posting a 2.79 ERA and 33 strikeouts to seven walks.