Bochy: ‘Best thing is to keep throwing Timmy out there'

SAN FRANCISCO -- Tim Lincecum will not skip his next startin Seattle, nor will he become an 18 million bullpen arm.General manager Brian Sabean and field manager Bruce Bochy both made that clearTuesday, despite speculation that the Giants are considering a drastic changeto help their one-time ace.Bochy said before Tuesdays game against the Houston Astros that he met withSabean, pitching coach Dave Righetti and bullpen coach Mark Gardner to discussways to help Lincecum snap out of his season-long funk.Right now, the best thing is to keep throwing Timmy out there, Bochy said.Hes showed signs of being very good. I know hes had his ups and downs, buthes going to take his bullpen tomorrow and hell be back out there.Lincecum will take a 2-7 record and 6.00 ERA into his next start against theMariners, the team he rooted for growing up in Washington. The Giants are 2-11 in games Lincecum starts, and Sabeans assessment issimple: Too many pitches from the thigh to the belt getting hit.While Sabean acknowledged the location issues, he was adamant that Linecumsproblems are not related to a fluctuating weight.He hasnt lost weight since spring training, Sabean told Jim Kozimor onChronicle Lives Say Hey Tuesday. Its not a weight issue.Instead, Sabean said that Lincecums location mistakes are leading to highpitch-count innings.Its a fatigue issue, Sabean said. He has to stay away from those longinnings.Lincecum is averaging 18.1 pitches per inning this season, fourthworst in the big leagues. For reference, Lincecum averaged 15.3 pitches perinning in 2009, the year he won his second Cy Young award.Despite the ongoing struggles, Sabean is confident that Lincecum will right theship.Hes putting the work in, Sabean said. Its a maturation process. We forgetthis guy is only 28.Lincecum actually wont turn 28 until June 15, the day before his nextscheduled start in Seattle. There is nothing Giants brass annd fans would liketo see more than an older and wiser Lincecum regain his confidence with avintage performance against the light-hitting Mariners.