SF Giants Team Grades:1/6th Of The Way Into The Season

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May 2, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto throws against the Cincinnati Reds during the second inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /

Pitching

The Giants pitching staff has, thus far, been a disappointment. Hitters are hitting .278 against them, which is just ahead of the Houston Astros (.282) and Milwaukee Brewers (.306) for worst in all of baseball. Their 4.61 team ERA is on the bottom half of the league, and rests mostly in the arms of two arms, Jake Peavy (8.61) and Matt Cain (7.00).

That isn’t to say that there isn’t room for optimism. In fact there is good reason to believe that things will improve.

Both Peavy and Cain have been very hittable. Hitters are hitting .382 off of him, and his pitches tend to be missing high a lot lately. Cain looks a lot like a 4+ inning guy right now. Hopefully he’s given more opportunities to work through this, he’s had an abbreviated spring he’s had to work through.

Perhaps a co-fifth starter combination would work between them. Where one starts one week, and the other warms up in the fourth inning preparing to enter in the fifth. I understand that wins may be lost by the starter, but you’d be able to tell the guy “go out and put it all out there for 3-4 innings”, knowing that another guy is coming in to start the fifth. Then bring up Chris Heston in his normal rotation spot.

Madison Bumgarner has been slightly above average thus far, and the signings of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija are not being questioned as much anymore. Cueto has thrown two absolute masterpieces, and never seems to lose his composure. Samardzija is another arm that hangs in there well.

The bullpen has been inconsistent with their performance as much as staying on the mound. George Kontos and Sergio Romo both have been down with injuries which takes away two dependable arms coming out of the pen. It was alright to have a young arm or two joining a mix of good veterans. But having to rely on so many youngsters has taken it’s toll a bit. At least they are gaining experience that will be invaluable later in the year.

Overall, the pitching staff has not performed to the level that it was predicted on paper. But the team being in first place, seeing glimpses of dominance from newcomers Cueto and Samardzija, and watching some of the kids like Derek Law confound hitters, all are great signs that they are on the right track.

Grade: C+

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