Tim Lincecum has a Back Injury

Tim Lincecum, arguably the best pitcher in Major League Baseball, will miss his next start due to a lower back injury. Lincecum is suffering from inflammation and spasms on the left side of his lower back.

Obviously, this is potential very bad news for the San Francisco Giants. Although manager Bruce Bochy thinks that Lincecum will be ready after only a couple of days, any type of setback would likely doom the Giants’ chances in the NL Wild Card race.

As it stands, the Giants trail the Colorado Rockies by three games for a spot in the 2009 baseball playoffs. The Rockies have won five games in a row, while the Giants have lost four of their last ten ballgames.

On the season, Lincecum is 13-5 with a 2.34 ERA. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner has a chance to win that award for a second straight year if he has a strong finish to the 2009 campaign. However, this back injury will likely slow him down enough to take him out of the running. Now the Giants need to hope that the injury doesn’t take them out of the NL Wild Card running.

Tim Lincecum - San Francisco Giants (Image: Zuma Press)