SF Giants: Three takeaways from the Padres series

SF Giants: Three Takeaways From the Padres Series

2. The rotation held up their end of the bargain

The Giants faced off against a tough San Diego Padres lineup. It is no secret that the Padres are expected to be a playoff contender this year. Despite this, the starting rotation did well to keep the Padres offense in check.

Anthony DeSclafani, Aaron Sanchez, and Kevin Gausman started the three games in this series. In the case of Desclafani and Sanchez, they were making their Giants debut on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. There is no doubt that they made a good first impression as well as some friends and fans along the well.

On the other hand, Gausman made his second start of the year and further cemented his position as the anchor of this rotation. Regardless of who was on the mound, the Giants got some quality innings from their starters:

• DeSclafani: 5 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, 7 groundouts, and 3 flyouts
• Sanchez: 5 innings, 6 hits, 1 earned run, no walks, 4 strikeouts, 5 groundouts, and 1 flyout
• Gausman: 7 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts, 7 groundouts, and 8 flyouts

The case could be made that DeSclafani has the potential to be the most interesting rotation experiment in 2021 similar to what the Giants did with Gausman last year. The right-handed hurler has always flashed an intriguing arsenal that includes a mid-90’s fastball, an above-average slider, curveball, and changeup.

DeSclafani is a flyball pitcher and that type of skill set is tough to make work in the hitter-friendly confines of the Great American Ballpark, which has been his home park for much of his career. Perhaps, a change of scenery is all that he needs.

Sanchez looked strong and efficient in his first start since 2019, needing only 74 pitches to make it through five innings. Similarly, Gausman attacked the zone early and often while giving the Giants much-needed length.

SF Giants: Three Takeaways From the Padres Series

2. The right side of the bullpen struggled

Aside from Tyler Rogers, the Giants did not have a reliable arm in the bullpen from the right side in 2020. They added a couple of key righties in Matt Wisler and John Brebbia (injured) this past winter to go along with a bevy of veteran relievers on minor-league deals, but the early returns have no been favorable.

In fairness, the current composition of the bullpen exposes both Wisler and Rogers to be overused. In addition to Wisler and Rogers, Reyes Moronta is the only other right-handed reliever currently on the 26-man roster.

Moronta has the highest upside, by far, of the three relievers. However, the Giants appear to be managing his workload after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder in September of 2019.

He is 18 months removed from that surgery, but he just pitched in his first game a couple of weeks ago. The Giants would likely prefer not to have him pitch in back-to-back games for the time being. This means more work for Rogers and Wisler.

Through six games, both Rogers and Wisler have appeared in four games apiece. This is familiar territory for Rogers, who made 29 appearances in 60 games in 2020. However, the Giants run the risk of overusing either reliever.

Both pitchers appeared in two games against the Padres and the results were mixed at best. Wisler yielded runs in both of his appearances, whereas Rogers recorded one scoreless outing before allowing a key home run to Wil Myers on Wednesday. In Wisler’s first outing of the series, a defensive miscue led to an unearned run, but his first week in a Giants uniform has been rough.

The SF Giants will likely play a lot of close games this year, so bullpen woes and bullpen management will be under the microscope. At some point, San Francisco may need to add another righty to the bullpen if these issues continue.