Next week, we’ll get to wtiness a battle between, arguably, the game’s top two hurlers. 

San Francisco Giants’ ace Tim Lincecum has been the best pitcher over the past three seasons – and he hold the hardware to support that claim.  The two-time Cy Young winner is certainly one of the most feared pitchers in the game, however, he has struggled mightily of late.  In his last two trips to the mound, Lincecum has pitched 9 and 2/3 innings and given up 11 earned runs.  The former (Washington) Huskie has been unable to harness the control of his pitches.  In his first seven starts this season, Lincecum yielded 10 bases on balls.  But in his last three starts, he’s given up an astonishing 15 free passes.  

While Lincecum has been at the top of the hill for some time now, Ubaldo Jimenez has been the best pitcher this season.  Jimenez’s record is 9-1, and he’s rocking a 0.88 ERA.  Last night, he made mince meat of the Arizona Diamondbacks yielding only six hits and, of course, no earned runs.  And just in case you were wondering – yes, we’re talking about the same Diamondbacks that blasted Lincecum for five runs in five innings pitched on May 20. 

Jimenez has National League hitters baffled this season; he's posting a league-leading .176 BAA.

Based on the current starting rotations, these astronomical talents are set to square off on Monday in San Francisco.  And the start time for this tilt is set at 1:05 PM local time, at which the Giants’ hitters will breathe a sigh of relief.  That’s because Ubaldo has been virtually untouchable at night.  After dark, Jimenez has put together a even-more jaw-dropping 0.24 ERA and a .110 BAA.  In the daylight, he’s not shabby either, just not as unbelievably dominant like he’s been at night. 

The matchup will probably go in favor of the pitcher who is able to do a better job of limiting their opponents’ baserunners – so having command of their pitches will be the key.  While Lincecum has strggled of late, he was allowing walks at a lesser rate than Jimenez before his sudden collapse over his last three outings. 

With both fireballers born slightly over five months apart – and given their importance to the development of their respective franchises – we may be witnessing the beginning of a pitching rivalry that will shape the NL West for years to come.

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