Close Eye on Lincoln Tonight

Brad Lincoln takes the ball in Baltimore tonight, and I would say that there is at least a bit of pressure on him. He got roughed up in his last start and didn't look spectacular in his first one either. He's been one of the best pitchers in the league coming out of the bullpen, but that hasn't translated into much when he starts.

The main reason for that is because Lincoln is basically a two pitch pitcher, and the more hitters see of his two pitches the better they perform. It's not hard to hit a guy that can't mix it up much when you can see him for a few innings in a row. This tells me that his future is in the bullpen, and that's not a horrible thing considering how good he has been from there this year.

Comparing his pitch f/x from starting to relieving shows some big differences. His fastball is at least a mile per hour slower when he's starting, which hasn't helped him. His curveball hasn't been much different, but again, the more hitters see it the better they are going to fair against it.

Lincoln still could be a starter for this club down the road, he just needs to take advantage of the opportunity he has right now. Jeff Karstens is going to miss some more time so there are still some starts to be had, and Lincoln has grabbed the first crack at them. If he gets beat up again tonight, he might not get that chance. We could see a Jeff Locke or a Rudy Owens make those starts. From what Brad has said, he's okay with being a bullpen guy, and he could even possibly turn into a closer someday (I'm not sure about that, but others have said it), so it won't be the end of the world for him if he goes back to the bullpen for good after this year. He was drafted as a starter and that position is much more valuable than a reliever, so my hope for him is still that he turns into a solid starter. I don't see it happening, but that's my hope.

Keep an eye on Lincoln tonight, because it might be the last time you see him in a starting role. The good news is that this definitely won't be the last time you'll see him in a Pirates uniform. He'll never live up to the hype that he had around him when he was a first round draft pick, but him giving the Pirates something at the major league level is going to be a big story from this 2012 season.