SF Giants: Three takeaways from the Padres series

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.