Lince-what

I have now twice watched Tim Lincecum single-handedly embarrass the Astros, both of them matchups against Roy "Give Him a Cy Young Already" Oswalt.

Everybody compares the two pitchers. Lincy is 5'11, small for a power pitcher, Roy is 6'0 (maybe). It's a valid enough comparison, especially given Lincecum until-recent prospect/unknown status. The Giants starter's middle name is LeRoy, also. But I'm not ready to leave it at the similarities. There are some key differences:

Lincecum throws a lot harder than Roy ever did. His fastball topped out last night at 99 mph, and spent a lot of time in the mid-90s. Oswalt, at the height of his velocity from which he has dropped, pushed 96 on occasion, but never danced with triple digits.

Lincecum's delivery is equally as quick-to-develop as Oswalt's, but Lincy's rock-back and explode forward reminds me more of Kevin Brown. (Someone beat me to this idea.) Roy-O doesn't ever lose his up-down equilibrium like that. His fastball doesn't sink like Brown's, however, it's rather straight and hard. Oswalt's fastball seems to start low and rise to the bottom of the strike zone at its best. Lincy's is a power pitch through and through.

Lincy's curve/slider is a knockout pitch, straight up and down, "right off the old coffee table," as the Giants announcer referred to it. Oswalt's off-speed pitches are more delicate, bending into the zone or dipping out of it deceptively. In other words, for all of the power that Roy seems to wield, he is essentially a control pitcher, working the edges of the plate with his riser and bringing two-seamers back over the plate inside to a lefty. This is why Roy's success continues even as his velocity has decreased over the last few years. (This statement on Wikipedia: "Despite his 6 ft 0 in 185-pound frame, he is one of baseball's hardest hurlers" is incorrect).

Lincecum is a fantastic pitcher, even now. He has enough control to harness his serious heat. I predict a successful career, assuming that he doesn't blow out his elbow. His mechanics would seem to suggest lots of stress on his arm.

And he looks like he's twelve.