Sliiider

Againts the Diamondbacks 5/28:

Inning	Batter	Velocity	Result
4	C. Jackson	85	Ball
5	J. Salazar	84	Ball
5	J. Salazar	83	Ball
6	C. Jackson	82	In play, pop-out
8	S. Drew	82	Ball

Not too much to speak of here, since Lincecum threw only 5 sliders. The only point of import to note is that he threw the slider to two lefties, Salazar and Drew, and one rightie, Jackson.

I don’t have the exact percentage, but I’ll take a wild guess that he throws the slider at a lesser clip than 17.9% and 13.6%, the respective rates for his changeup and curveball. Last season, those rates flip-flopped, because Lincecum gradually developed the change-up into one of his most effective pitches. As before, though the slider is this year’s “project pitch,” batters have not yet picked up on it. With the success he’s had so far, the number of sliders thrown should increase by the ending of the season.