Posted By Jeff Fletcher on September 8, 2009 5:15 pm

By now I’m sure you’ve heard that Tim Lincecum has been scratched from tonight’s start because of back spasms, clearing the way for Madison Bumgarner to make his big league debut.

The Giants are putting a hopeful spin on this right now, as you’ll see in my linked FanHouse story, but I’m skeptical. Just the way I am. I don’t think there’s any such thing as a minor back injury, especially not for someone who twists a 180-pound body to throw 96 mph fastballs.

Did the Giants work Lincecum too hard? Well, they did have him throw 3,035 pitches so far this year, third most in the National League. His average of 108 pitches per start is tied for the most in the league. It’s easy to say that hasn’t helped him. When I asked Bruce Bochy today if he’s going to have any most strict pitch-count on Lincecum when he gets back, and he said no, because this isn’t an arm injury.

How soon can Lincecum come back? Bochy was very vague. He said that it was “doubtful” Lincecum would come back before his next scheduled turn, on Monday against the Rockies, but then he also said that they’d like to get him back as soon as possible. In a perfect world, if Lincecum can pitch on Friday, he’d be able to pitch against the Dodgers and the Rockies next week. If not, there’s no real reason to get him out before Monday. Presumably, the Giants want to have Lincecum for the Rockies series next Monday-Wednesday.

I’m looking forward to seeing Bumgarner. He’s put up just ridiculous numbers in two minor league seasons, but he still hasn’t thrown a pitch above Double-A. I wouln’t be surprised with anything tonight. He might pitch great, might get hammered, or anything in between.