Lincecum lit up

How rare was Tim Linceum's horrendous day? Lincecum gave up five runs on six hits in five innings, ending up with a no-decision in an 11-10 loss at Kansas City. Lincecum suffered only his third non-quality start of the season, and it was just the second time Lincecum hadn't gone at least six innings (the last was a four-inning win on Opening Day).

Going back to his rookie season in 2007, this was the first time Lincecum gave up as many runs as innings pitched since last August.

Fantasy Impact: Lincecum's ERA jumped from 1.99 to 2.54 over just two starts. His BB/9 and H/9 are both down from last year, but his career ERA was 3.28 coming in, meaning there's a possibility he slides back toward that number. Lincecum's career does not provide enough of a sample size to project where he goes from here, but young pitchers who have success early are more likely to improve than veterans who pitch well for a few months.