CSN: Giants won't rest or demote Lincecum

SAN FRANCISCO -- Tim Lincecum will not skip his next start in Seattle, nor will he become an $18 million bullpen arm.

General manager Brian Sabean and field manager Bruce Bochy both made that clear Tuesday, despite speculation that the Giants are considering a drastic change to help their one-time ace.

Bochy said before Tuesday?s game against the Houston Astros that he met with Sabean, pitching coach Dave Righetti and bullpen coach Mark Gardner to discuss ways to help Lincecum snap out of his season-long funk.

?Right now, the best thing is to keep throwing Timmy out there,? Bochy said. ?He?s showed signs of being very good. I know he?s had his ups and downs, but he?s going to take his bullpen tomorrow and he?ll be back out there.?

Lincecum will take a 2-7 record and 6.00 ERA into his next start against the Mariners, the team he rooted for growing up in Washington.

The Giants are 2-11 in games Lincecum starts, and Sabean?s assessment is simple: ?Too many pitches from the thigh to the belt getting hit.?

While Sabean acknowledged the location issues, he was adamant that Linecum?s problems are not related to a fluctuating weight.

?He hasn?t lost weight since spring training,? Sabean told Jim Kozimor on Chronicle Live?s Say Hey Tuesday. ?It?s not a weight issue.?

Instead, Sabean said that Lincecum?s location mistakes are leading to high pitch-count innings.

?It?s a fatigue issue,? Sabean said. ?He has to stay away from those long innings.?

Lincecum is averaging 18.1 pitches per inning this season, fourth worst in the big leagues. For reference, Lincecum averaged 15.3 pitches per inning in 2009, the year he won his second Cy Young award.

Despite the ongoing struggles, Sabean is confident that Lincecum will right the ship.

?He?s putting the work in,? Sabean said. ?It?s a maturation process. We forget this guy is only 28.?

Lincecum actually won?t turn 28 until June 15, the day before his next scheduled start in Seattle. There is nothing Giants brass annd fans would like to see more than an older and wiser Lincecum regain his confidence with a vintage performance against the light-hitting Mariners.

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