Giants will shake up middle relief corps
SAN FRANCISCO — In the face of questions about Hunter Strickland's meltdown in Game 2 of the World Series, San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy stood by the rookie and insisted he would continue to call on him.
It just doesn't figure to be in the same kind of tight spots.
Bochy sounded optimistic that Tim Lincecum's back ailment is not serious and that he'll be able to contribute as a reliever. If so, the role of the two-time Cy Young Award winner may gain prominence after the developments of Wednesday night, when the Kansas City Royals blew open a tight game with a five-run sixth inning on the way to a 7-2 victory that tied the World Series at one victory apiece.
Making his first appearance of the postseason, Lincecum was one of the Giants' bright spots, pitching 1 2/3 hitless innings and striking out two before leaving in the eighth with lower-back tightness.
Lincecum was undergoing an MRI exam on Thursday when Bochy addressed the news media, and if the results were encouraging, he should be available for today's Game 3 at AT&T Park.
"I know he has to feel good about that outing," Bochy said. "I know we do, so he could play a bigger role now if he's healthy."
The Giants are likely to need help in the middle innings in the next two games with Tim Hudson, 39, and Vogelsong, 37, as their starters. Both staggered in September and have been hot-and-cold in the postseason, recording only one start of at least seven innings in a combined four outings.
Middle relief has emerged as the weak link in a San Francisco bullpen that had been a major strength as the club won eight of its first 10 games this postseason.
The Royals' five-run eruption came largely at the expense of the bullpen after starter Jake Peavy left in the sixth inning with no outs, two runners on and the game tied 2-2.
Strickland and Jean Machi, two of the four relievers Bochy used in the sixth, combined to give up three runs in that inning, in addition to allowing the inherited runners to score as Kansas City broke the game open.
Strickland compounded the problem by inciting a yelling match with Royals catcher Salvador Perez, who had doubled and scored on Omar Infante's two-run homer, the fifth long ball yielded by Strickland in 5 1/3 postseason innings.
Both Wednesday and after Thursday's light workout, Strickland stood in front of his locker and answered questions about his tantrum. He also took responsibility in front of his teammates, which earned him points with Bochy.
"I'm embarrassed about it," Strickland said. "I was in the moment and I took it a little too far and my emotions got to me.
"There's no hard feelings toward anybody. It's just what happened. I'm not going to deny it. I'm going to own up to what I did."
Bochy may need to alter his strategy — he's considering calling on veteran lefties Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez earlier in the game — to cover the gap until he can get the ball to Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla in the final two innings.
Machi performed that role for much of the season and pitched so well in the first half — going 5-0 with a 1.64 ERA — that his name was bandied about as an All-Star Game candidate.
The right-hander from Venezuela relies on a sharp-dipping split-finger fastball as his out pitch, inducing frequent swings-and-misses or grounders. But in the final month Machi had a hard time getting ahead of hitters and couldn't get his splitter to drop, making it much more hittable.
Machi yielded a 9.00 ERA in September and has been no more trustworthy in the postseason, when he has allowed three runs in 2 1/3 innings.
"He was our bridge, our go-to guy," Bochy said. "I know the postseason has not gone well for him. You're hoping the layoff, getting a break, throwing some bullpens (will help)."
As Machi was enduring his late-season struggles, Strickland was emerging as a viable alternative. He opened some eyes by striking out nine in seven scoreless innings after his September call-up from Class AA Richmond (Va.), and his 100-mph fastball gave the Giants bullpen a weapon it lacked.
But Strickland's fastball has landed on the other side of a fence so many times this postseason, he has tied a record with his five gopher balls.
Both he and Machi hope to remain in Bochy's plans.
"I hope tomorrow I can go back to being the Jean Machi I was earlier in the season," Machi said in Spanish, "and that I can regain the confidence I had at that time."
GALLERY: WORLD SERIES -- ROYALS vs. GIANTS