San Francisco Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum was sent for an MRI of his tight back to determine whether he can remain on the active roster when the World Series resumes tonight.
The two-time National League Cy Young Award winner was walked off the field Wednesday night by trainer Dave Groeschner during the eighth inning of San Francisco's 7-2 loss at Kansas City in Game 2 when his left lower back tightened. Lincecum retired five consecutive before exiting during Salvador Perez's at-bat.
"Timmy feels pretty good today," Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday. "If something's going on, then it's obvious we'll have to make the change, but my hope is he's fine. If he is, then I think he'll be good to go tomorrow."
Lincecum, 30, hadn't pitched since Sept. 28 after not being called upon out of the bullpen during the National Leauge division series against Washington or the National League Championship Series against St. Louis. Lincecum missed pregame introductions before Game 1 on Tuesday because he was vomiting.
Lincecum said after Wednesday's loss at Kauffman Stadium that he didn't think the long layoff contributed to tweaking his back, noting he experienced more tightness than pain. He felt his back tighten up on the lower left side on one pitch "and it didn't look so good so I decided to stop."
Lincecum said his back felt better Thursday than it did after the game, even after the long flight home.
"Sitting on the plane was a little iffy," he said. "I just did my best to try to stay stretched out and keep it loose. We'll see how it progresses. It feels better than it did yesterday. We still have to wait and see."
Thanks, Mom
The family of San Francisco Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland, who gave up two runs and lost his temper on the mound Wednesday night in Game 2 of the World Series, came to his defense Thursday.
"He's an intense player, you can't blame him for that," said Strickland's mom, Maggie, who was in the stands in Kansas City for the game along with her husband, Ken, and other family members. "Of course, it crushes you as a mother."
Hunter Strickland, a 26-year-old rookie, triggered an altercation in the sixth inning Wednesday after giving up a home run to Kansas City's Omar Infante. He appeared to bark something in the direction of Royals runner Salvador Perez as Perez trotted home from second on Infante's home run.
Players from both teams came onto the field, although no punches were thrown and nobody was ejected.
Maggie Strickland said her son was simply upset with himself.
"If you get that upset with yourself, that proves to the world that you want it so bad," she said. "He may have lost his emotions there for a second or two, but that's history. It's a misunderstanding."
Hunter Strickland tol reporters after the game that he thought one of the Royals said something to him first.
"My emotions got the best of me," he said. "I'm not too proud of that."
Maggie Strickland said she is proud of her son and knows he still has the respect of his teammates.
"He doesn't ever want to let anyone down, and he felt he let the team down and it's very, very difficult," she said. "The sun will rise tomorrow. Yes, you might be in a dark little place, but he can pick himself up and perform again if need be. He can brush himself off and do it.
"That makes for a great player on and off the field."
Ratings up a bit
Game 2 of the World Series stayed close deeper into the night, which helped boost television ratings.
The 12.9 million viewers Wednesday on Fox for the Kansas City Royals' 7-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants were an increase of 6 percent from Game 1.
The 7.9 rating with a 14 share was still the second-lowest ever for a Game 2. The Giants' 2-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers in 2012 drew a 7.8 with a 12 share.
The Giants' 7-1 victory Tuesday earned a 7.3, a record low for a Game 1. San Francisco led 5-0 after four innings of that game.
Ratings measure the percentage of homes with televisions tuned to a program, while shares represent the percentage of TVs in use at the time.
Sports on 10/24/2014