Phillies manager Charlie Manuel preceded his club’s overpaying for acquisition of Hunter Pence by dismissing claims San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum (above) and Matt Cain qualified as “great” hurlers (“when you say somebody is great, I look up there and tonight I saw a 90 mph fastball, 92 at best,”). Asked for reply by the SF Chronicle’s Henry Schulman, the 2008 NL Cy Young Award winner wasn’t in a conciliatory mood.
Lincecum seemed floored by the quotes, especially the velocity part, saying, “They had a guy named Moyer right? Talk to him about that one.”
“It’s probably just frustration speaking,” Lincecum said. “When it comes down to it, it’s not what a person says, it’s about what goes on, on the field. There are guys who can dominate throwing 85, and there are (hitters) who can hit 97. This is the major leagues. It comes down to execution.”
Lincecum further surmised that Manuel was frustrated the Phillies lost their first series in more than a month.
“They’re not used to it,” he said. “It might have something to do with what happened in the NLCS, too. You’ll have to ask him. Cainer threw up the same numbers I threw. He doesn’t have to hump it up. With his stuff, he still dominates teams. I don’t know if miles per hour have to do with domination.”
I must agree with Tim L, as he has proved over the past two seasons what he can do without the upper 90’s and 100’s by winning games with ability and style. I am an Orioles fan and I have been intrested in Lincecums career since his 1st start and his ability to win two straight Cy Young awards It is very evident throughout the Major Leagues that there many pitchers who can reach the 90’s, some upper, many not so much. Velocity is necessary in your 1st couple of years of pitching, but most pitchers seem to lose it after a couple of seasons. Look at the older pitchers in both leagues and in past years when pitchers have been aroundfor many years, they rely on finess, Palmer, Moyer are good examples of this. For what it is worth…..
I think Manuel was simply positioning. It’s a competitive arena. He knows it’s likely he’ll be facing Linecum et al in the post season if things go as they have,and whatever he can do to get in the opposition’s head might yield some leverage. In the end it won’t do much because if it turns out to be a rematch, the Phillies will have their problems with the Giants. Being a Philadelphia fan I hope it turns out in their favor with the pick up of a right hand bat recently which I think is more important than anything Charlie might say for a mental edge. I think the Phils need some simulation practice against exactly the type of pitching San Fran proffers which could help with any club with a winning record they face at this point thru the end. However, I do agree with what Linecum had to say.
This may the first time I have ever read or heard of sour grapes from Charlie Manuel, but Lincecum is correct in suggesting that Manuels short changing of Lincecum and Cain is due to frustration about the Phillies struggles against them
over the past 3 seasons (you can also include Jonathan Sanchez and the entire back-end of the Giants BP). As a Phillies fan, one gets the gnawing feeling that the Phillies just do not stack up well against Giants pitching and that somehow it seems that the Giants batters are more likely to scratch a few runs off of the Phils starts than vice-versa.
tim lincecum is over rated and overpayed he a nobody who things he all that
The freak is right. Jamie Moyer was very good with location, not his velocity, but when the umps didn’t give him the wide plate calls he was not effective at all.
I think whoever thinks Lincecum is overrated does not know the game he is one of the top Pitchers in the Game and I am a Phillies Phan and have been for 26 years also I live in South Philadelphia and Charlie was just trying to hype up the next time the Phils and Giants Play each other in October which the Phitins will win this time
When Charlie made that statement he had been asked if the Giants were in their (PhilliesPlayers) heads. Charlie was taken back by that smacked A#%SS question. Charlie is always about giving crdeit where credit is due. Lincecum , Cain , Sanchez are
top rate pitchers in this league. Make no mistake that last year’s
World Series Run & title was about their offense catching it at the right time with timely hitting. Especially Cody Ross who saved his
best career moments for the last month of the season. So although the Giants are the champs and the Braves are their (Giants) equal they will have to play their best baseball of the season come playoff time to even dream of catching the PHILLIES
in 2011!
Last year was a fluke. San Fran wont even get past the D-Backs.