Gabe Kapler used and Opener with Alex Wood coming in for bulk innings to counter Kevin Gausman RHP and hey! It worked! Key Lines:
Thairo Estrada 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(18). BA= .280. Estrada scored the Giants first run after singling in the 5'th inning and coming home on Patrick Bailey C's double. He then came up in the 9'th inning, when the Giants needed in insurance run or two, with runners on first and second and hit a double to drive them both in. That's right, he drove in runners from 1B and 2B with 2-outs!
Ryan Walker RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 1.80. 3 K's overcame a couple of first inning baserunners to start the game off with a shutout inning.
Alex Wood LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K's, GO/AO= 4/1. ERA= 4.57. The Opener allowed Wood to stay in the game through the 6'th inning on 80 pitches same as Gausman who threw 106. Wood left with a 1-0 lead and ended up with the W. Hmmm.....maybe this Opener BS works after all?
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 1.79. Daulton Varsho CF led off the 7'th inning with a double off Alex Wood. Kap went right to the RH Rogers Bro who went GO, K, K, end of threat. He the struck out the first two batters of the 8'th before Brandon Belt DH doubled. That brought in Camilo Doval RHP.......
Camilo Doval RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, Save(23). ERA= 1.95. Doval ended the threat in the 8'th. Estrada drove in the two insurance runs in the top of the 9'th. Game over. No torture tonight!
I read on Twitter that this was the Giants 10'th road win in a row which set some sort of all time franchise record. The standings remain static as the Dodgers and Marlins both won and the D'Backs are leading their game 8-4 in the 9'th inning. Giants are hitting on all 8 cylinders right now(knocks furiously on wood). Credit where due: FZ built a deep, resilient roster, "Peppermint" Pete Putila appears to have turbocharged minor league development and Kap is pulling all the right strings on the field.
Logan Webb RHP tries to clinch another series win tomorrow evening against TBD.
Churn Watch: Wilmer Flores IF was activated from the IL and Isan Diaz IF was optioned to AAA Sacramento.
Hard to deny the results but also hard to believe this pitching staff can keep doing this for 162. Also not sold that this approach is going to work come playoffs. If you manage your regular season games as if they are playoff games do you have an advantage come playoffs or are you now inferior since every other team will be managed like this in the playoffs? The depth is great when they are all healthy but how much longer can this bullpen be used in this way with openers two to three times a week. We need another top end SP to solidify the rotation and help save the bullpen but what will we have to give up to get one?
ReplyDeleteI would start being more cautious with the mileage on the bullpen with all the injuries, I think Tristan Beck and Sean manaea should get some opportunities to start.
ReplyDelete....and what's up with Sean Manaea? He's had just two 1-inning appearances since June 16.
DeleteGausman's performance is why I liked but didn't love his work as a Giant. Virtually the same with Rodon last year. Hugely talented guys. Spectacular stuff. When healthy, tons of flashy strikeouts, though their max-effort deliveries seem to take them off the field a fair amount. Even then, they rarely exceed six innings pitched, leaving the last third of the game (or more) to whoever's around.
ReplyDeleteKnowing Gausman, the Giants believed they could run up his pitch count and have him gone by the 7th, and he was, so they knew they could be in the game if they pitched adequately. Happily, they pitched even better than adequately.
Not that stellar performances like Gausman's aren't useful. But the market for a Gausman or a Rodon demands a big chunk of the salary cap. I think money like that ought to be reserved for pitchers who can predictably stay in there for 7+ innings, even if they don't have the flash. I prefer the golfing adage: drive for show, putt for dough.
This is a terrible take. Gausman leads all of MLB in pitcher fWAR. He has the 4'th most IP in all of MLB trailing the leader by just 1 inning. He's averaging over 6 IP/Start. He's pitched at least 6 innings in 13 of 17 starts and more than 6 innings in 7, at least 7 innings 6 times and 8 innings twice. He's an ace, plain and simple.
DeleteI challenge you to find one pitcher in all of MLB right now who will reliably give you 7+ innings per start.
DeleteThe point I was making is the reason why Alex Wood was able to hang with Kevin Gausman was the successful use of the Opener.
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