Vine Line Game Day Preview: Cubs vs. Giants

Christina Kahrl, who writes for ESPN’s SweetSpot Blog and is a founding partner of Baseball Prospectus, contributed this preview of Game 3 starter Tim Lincecum in our Vine Line Game Day Edition program, available at Wrigley Field. Grab your official Wrigley Field scorecard for just $2 and catch Christina’s full look at the Cubs’ matchups every month.

“The Freak” may not throw as hard as he once did, but the short, slim righty is getting the same results from his classic fastball/slider/change combo. Lincecum’s still striking out more than a man an inning, cranking out quality starts two-thirds of the time or more, and every hard-hit ball represents a small moral victory for the batter. Whether with his fastball or his off-speed stuff, he rarely makes a mistake inside, and he’s able to snap off sliders and change-ups for strikes in hitter’s counts.After four years of relative indifference to baserunners—who swiped 77 bases in 90 attempts—Lincecum had benefitted from Posey catching. Now he may have a spot of vulnerability again.