Starter Erik Bedard has relied extensively on his bullpen this year – he needed them to get the last 12 outs Friday.

In his last eight starts, he’s pitched into the seventh inning once, and twice been knocked out before completing four innings.

Three times in the last five starts, he’s thrown 99 pitches and then left the game.

Against Detroit, he allowed a leadoff double to Curtis Granderson in the fifth inning, then got a strikeout and two ground balls to end the inning with Granderson still at second.

It was great pitching, but when the inning was done, so was Bedard.

That's not what No. 1 pitchers do and, simply put, it's not the pitcher Seattle traded for.

A year ago, Bedard routinely threew more than 100 pitches in a start. Now, asked to be the ace of a staff, he's decided his effectiveness ends at about 100 pitches.
He has been asked to throw more, to go deeper, to save the bullpen. And he has declined.

So I walk back to my place early this morning, really early this morning, and I check my mail and see my Sports Illustrated there and I see this on the cover ...

Here's Tom Verducci's story about Lincecum.

And to just prove that he's there's no jinx, Lincecum went out and won on Thursday night.

More links in the morning ... late morning that is.