I've got some good news and some bad news, and then some more bad news.
Let's start with the bad news. Brad Lincoln did not pitch well last night. He gave up 5 earned runs on 7 hits while walking 2 and striking out 3. The defense wasn't good, that probably should have been more like 3 or 4 earned runs on 5 hits, but either way, Lincoln got hit pretty hard. He wasn't fooling anybody, Adam Dunn gave him a rude welcome to the bigs with a 2-run bomb, and I mean bomb, in the first inning. Lincoln kept the Pirates in the game, more so with his bat than with his arm. Lincoln had 2 hits in his 3 at bats, and drove in a run on his 2nd hit.
We saw Lincoln's stuff for the first time (in the majors) last night, and it is in no way overpowering. He has a decent fastball, between 93 and 95 mph, but it's straight as an arrow and a pitch that is going to get hit hard if hitters know it is coming. The curveball is good as advertised, that is definitely his best pitch, but it loses a lot of it's value if not set up well by his other pitches. Lincoln's worst pitch is his changeup, and he threw that pretty well a couple times. He threw an 83 mile per hour changeup in the middle of the game that tailed away from a left handed hitter and got a pretty ugly swing. If he can throw the changeup like that more often, it can definitely help him succeed. The bottomline is that Brad Lincoln is going to have to be a good pitcher, and not just a good thrower, to succeed in the majors. His stuff isn't going to blow anyone away and he can't succeed with just the stuff, he has to be a good pitcher. He has good enough control and a good enough sense for the game to do it, so there is still something to be excited about in Lincoln.
Now, the good news. Jose Tabata was pretty impressive in his debut last night. He collected 2 hits in his 4 at bats, drew a walk and stole a base. Neither hit made it out of the infield, although the first one was hit very sharply. It was hit so sharply that it ate up shortstop Cristian Guzman and was a no-brain hit call for the scorer. The second hit was a dribbler 5ish feet away from the catcher that was more than enough for Tabata's speed to reach first without a throw. He wasn't tested in the outfield, but he made the easy plays look easy, which is good to see. He is definitely a defensive upgrade from Lastings Milledge, whom I really hope finds the bench once Steve Pearce comes off the DL.
The other bit of bad news is that Tabata limped off the field in the 8th inning after flying out. Everyone knew it was a hamstring injury as he hobbled off, which could have turned out very bad, but it turned out be just a cramp. He could play tonight, but there's a good chance they will sit him down for a game or two just for precaution. If he doesn't play tonight, all the excitement from last night's game is gone, and I'm probably not watching the game.
No, I'm kidding, I'm still watching. Let's Go Bucs!
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