Seattle --  Tim Lincecum had announced that he needed to make a
stand, to prove he was worth keeping in the rotation. Pitching
in his hometown for the first time as a professional he did
neither.  So now, the "what's next" questions grow more urgent.
Saturday night's 7-4 loss at Safeco Field was more of the same
for Lincecum and the Giants. He showed a snippet of past
dominance sandwiched between two waves of Lincecum 2012.  He
allowed five runs in five-plus innings and fell to 2-8 while the
Giants lost his ninth consecutive start. For the year they are
10 games under .500 when Lincecum pitches (2-12) and 18 games
over when he does not (35-17).  With a tougher stretch of
schedule near, the question of removing Lincecum from the
rotation, even for one start, must be revisited. If the Giants
broach it with the 28-year-old right-hander they will get a
fight.  "I want to pitch every fifth day," Lincecum said in a
deathly quiet Giants clubhouse. "I want that ball."  Manager
Bruce Bochy has spoken firmly about not