Kuzul

The San Francisco Giants pitching staff is officially being put on notice—step up your game.Pablo Sandoval has gone on the disabled list, reports Mercury News, meaning there's a hole in the middle of the lineup.While guys like Hunter Pence and Buster Posey are still in the middle of the lineup, it's time for the pitchers to stop depending on the offense to score a lot of runs. It's time for them to live up to their hype.In 2013, they've been anything but what we saw in 2012.The StatsThe starting rotation ranks 25th with 26 quality starts, with only 21 of 33 wins coming from the rotation. And that's not the only problem. They are 24th in ERA (4.75), have no complete games or shutouts, and have walked 132 batters.The offense has given them 4.3 runs of support per game, yet they still struggle to finish the job.In fact, it's been ...

Most teams are paying their big-name starting pitchers a fortune to provide 200 innings this season. But for a few of those pitchers, their performance is crippling teams that hope to contend, and that brings their job security into question.Some of these pitchers have long track records that afford them a longer leash. They may not lose their jobs based on a bad first month, but if the struggles continue into June, teams may begin looking for alternatives.Some of these pitchers will turn it around and finish just fine, but others will either be demoted, traded or pushed to the bullpen.Begin Slideshow

A team paying a pitcher $5 million for 180-200 innings gets more value for their money than one paying the same amount for 70 innings. So it stands to reason that so many teams are insisting pitchers stay in the rotation as long as their performance is tenable.Unfortunately, this means many teams miss out on potential dominance from those pitchers over shorter stretches. For some, this is due to the restraint needed to stretch one's effectiveness out over 100 pitches. While they may be dominant giving 100 percent, they can only give 80 percent to last that long.For others, they have only two effective pitches, which is enough for one or two innings, but starters usually need three to turn over a lineup twice. These pitchers would be much better off used in the 'pen, but of course, the value of raw innings pitched will keep them slaving away in ...

Tim Lincecum has looked like a different pitcher over his last two starts with Buster Posey behind the plate in place of Hector Sanchez. Over his first three starts with Sanchez catching, Lincecum struggled. He allowed 13 hits, 12 runs, 12 walks and three home runs in 16 innings of work. His ERA was 5.63.In his last two starts against the Padres, Lincecum has suddenly looked like a different pitcher. He's allowed 10 hits, two runs, five walks and no home runs over 13.2 innings. His ERA with Posey catching him this season is 1.32.Given that Posey was also the catcher for Lincecum during his phenomenal run as a reliever last postseason, it seems obvious that he should be catching Timmy. Posey is a better defender than Sanchez, and Lincecum needs all the support he can get at this point in his career.Posey is much more athletic behind the plate than ...

In recent weeks, several teams have locked up franchise icons, including the Giants' Buster Posey, the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright and the Tigers' Justin Verlander. Without these key players hitting free agency in coming years, teams will have to work with what remains. A few players stand to gain tremendously from these signings, but will need to put up good numbers this season if they want to cash in on long-term deals this offseason. Here are my top five free agents in need of a strong 2013 campaign.Begin Slideshow

2012 was an abysmal year for San Francisco Giants' starting pitcher Tim Lincecum.The former Giants' first-round draft selection in 2006 exploded onto the scene in his first full season with San Francisco in 2008 and became a national sensation nearly overnight.Given monikers like "The Freak" and "The Franchise," Lincecum lived up to his reputation.  His small stature combined with a violent and torque-heavy delivery amounted to him becoming one of the most dynamic starting pitchers in the league, earning him two consecutive Cy Young awards in 2008 and 2009.Lincecum was also a key figure in bringing the Giants their first World Series championship in San Francisco in 2010. Heralded for his wins in Games 1 and 5, both against perennial All-Star Cliff Lee, the Giants beat the Texas Rangers in five games.  The championship further added to the young pitcher's reputation as an elite starter.The year after, Lincecum had some setbacks. Posting ...

The Toronto Blue Jays have done a tremendous job remodeling their team into a playoff contender during the offseason.No. Make that a World Series contender.I may be getting a little ahead of myself, but the odds makers in Las Vegas have them pegged as the clear favorites.What’s even more impressive: Almost every major player they have acquired this season is set to wear a Blue Jays uniform for at least a few years, except starting pitcher Josh Johnson. Johnson will make $13.75 million this season as his four-year contract comes to an end (originally signed by the Miami Marlins).While Johnson will not be the “Ace” or opening day starter for the Blue Jays, he will play a vital role in the Jays success or failures this season. But you have to wonder if Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos wants to dish out the money to have him as a ...

For the second time in three years, the San Francisco Giants will enter spring training with the feeling of being World Series champions. However, there are still some questions that need to be answered and some concerns about the defending champions.Tim Lincecum and Hunter Pence were among the players who struggled last year, and while they both stepped up in the playoffs to help the Giants win the World Series, both have a lot to prove in 2013. While the Giants didn't make any major offseason moves, they gave out a lot of minor-league deals.What does that mean? Every player who received one of those miniature contracts has a lot to prove in spring training.Here are four battles within the team to watch for in 2013.Begin Slideshow

Pitchers and catchers report to San Francisco Giants spring training on Tuesday, and they’ll have a much different Tim Lincecum upon arrival. The Giants ace put on some pounds and got a haircut, shaving off his long trademark locks and opting for a more clean-cut look. Will the two-time National League Cy Young Award winner be better this year after going just 10-15 and posting a 5.18 ERA in 33 starts in 2012?Chances are he will be because of the great success he has achieved in years past. It won’t be because of any haircut, though, and it won’t come easy. Lincecum is on a mission after being relegated to the bullpen during the Giants’ World Series run just one season ago. "The Freak" appears focused and ready to get to work, not wanting to return to the bullpen again this season. “In the years past I kind of used spring as ...

Tim Lincecum met with the media Friday for the first time this offseason and he sounds like a man on a mission. Lincecum is going to bounce back in a big way for the San Francisco Giants in 2013. Lincecum not only has a spiffy new haircut, but his body has changed as well. After dropping 30 pounds last winter, he's back up to 170 pounds via a new offseason strength training regimen. Time will tell if the offseason conditioning has had any effect on his declining fastball velocity. The increased weight Lincecum carried in 2011 helped him bump his fastball up to 92.3 mmph from an average of 91.3 mph the season before. After shedding weight last winter, his fastball averaged only 90.4 mph in 2012.Yet velocity is not the most significant factor for Lincecum. Even with the velocity drop last season, he still managed to induce hitters to swing and ...