| Buster Posey will continue to catch Tim Lincecum -- just not Friday. (US Presswire) |
Since Buster Posey has broken into the big leagues in 2010, there's been talk that the Giants pitchers didn't like throwing to him. As former two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum's struggles continue this season, the whispers about the Lincecum-Posey battery have grown louder -- including a tweet from a national writer Friday stating that Posey may not catch Lincecum again this year.
And then, Friday, Bruce Bochy put the recently recalled Eli Whiteside in the lineup for Lincecum's start against the Phillies. That, of course, turned the whispers to screams. The loudest, though, came from Bochy.
"That is completely false," Bochy told reporters (via the San Jose Mercury News). "Completely false. Timmy doesn't care who he throws to. It's my call when I give Buster a break."
The Giants placed Hector Sanchez on the disabled list on Wednesday with a sprained knee and called up Whiteside on Wednesday. Bochy said Posey was worn down following Thursday's game in Atlanta and wanted him to catch Matt Cain on Saturday and Barry Zito on Sunday, as well as all three games against the Padres.
"I didn't want him to go through another tough game after catching int he hot weather, and that's the truth," Bochy said (via the San Francisco Chronicle). "It was totally my decision."
In 13 starts with Posey this season, Lincecum has a 5.67 ERA and batters were hitting .251/.339/.425 against the Lincecum-Posey battery. In six games with Sanchez catching, Lincecum had a 6.60 ERA and batters were hitting .288/.350/.464. In 10 career games with Whiteside behind the plate, Lincecum posted a 4.76 ERA -- more than a run higher than the 3.73 ERA posted in 38 games with Posey.
Earlier this week, Posey was asked about catching not just Lincecum, but also Barry Zito.
"Listen, I've got the utmost confidence in myself that I can catch anybody," Posey told the San Francisco Chronicle earlier this week. "I've never questioned that. I've caught Timmy plenty and had a lot of success with him. I haven't caught Barry as much as Timmy, but I'm definitely comfortable with him as well."
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