SF Giants: Three Key Takeaways From the Reds Series

The SF Giants completed the sweep against the Cincinnati Reds on the road with a convincing 19-4 victory. The sweep gives San Francisco a 28-16 overall record, which is currently the best record in baseball.

SF Giants: Three Key Takeaways From the Reds Series

1. Key Contributions from Darin Ruf and Steven Duggar

There were plenty of positives from this series, but the contributions from Darin Ruf and Steven Duggar stand out as a key observation.

Ruf’s role is to do damage against left-handed pitching, whereas Duggar’s role remains up in the air. However, Duggar continues to show growth at the plate in a limited sample.

His timing could not come at a better time as the Giants battle injuries in the field that has forced Mauricio Dubón to see more time at second base. On that same note, Austin Slater has produced mixed results in 2021, leaving the door open for someone like Duggar to earn more playing time.

The left-handed bat only saw one at-bat in each of the first three games, but he put together a tremendous performance in the final game of the series.

After grounding out in his first at-bat, he stepped into the batter’s box to face off against Michael Feliz. Duggar worked the count full, fouling a couple of pitches off in the process, and slammed the seventh pitch of the at-bat for a grand slam.

He added one more single later in the game and now has a .256/.319/.488 line across 43 a-bats. The 27-year-old has earned a few extra at-bats with his recent play.

Similarly, Darin Ruf capped off a strong series at the plate. He collected six hits in 17 at-bats, including a two-run blast and two doubles in the final game of the series. Furthermore, the right-handed bat coaxed three walks, so he was on base quite a bit.

Ruf fills an important platoon role for the Giants, and Duggar could as well if he continues to produce. This was a strong series for both players.

SF Giants: Three Key Takeaways From the Reds Series

3. Tyler Rogers solidifies himself as the closer

Tyler Rogers is off to a strong start this year and he may be in the running for a spot on the National League All-Star team. In 25.2 frames, the submarine-style thrower has registered a 0.70 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 0.818 WHIP, and a solid 2.60 SO/W ratio while being worth 1.2 WAR.

He began the year as a high-leverage reliever but he has pitched his way into the closer role. Jake McGee began the year as the team’s closer, but he hit a rough patch due in part to high usage. The lefty continues to see high-leverage innings, but it is clear that Giants manager Gabe Kapler has more trust in Rogers.

There were not many close moments in this series, but Rogers was called upon to preserve a 6-3 lead on Monday. No lead is safe at the Great American Ballpark, but the 30-year-old’s ground ball-heavy approach is a perfect fit for the stadium.

Rogers induced three ground balls, including a single and an error, as well as a fly out to close out the game without much excitement. That is what fans want with their closers: To be as boring as possible.

Rogers appeared in Wednesday’s match in the ninth inning of a 4-0 game. Despite it being a non-save situation, he was called upon to close out the game and he did just that.

The Austin Peay State University product has not yielded a run since April 25 while being used heavily in Gabe Kapler’s bullpen. In fact, Rogers has the most appearances of any pitcher in baseball so far this year.

The Giants bullpen has been shaky at times, but roles tend to be defined when you have a good reliever at the end of the game. Rogers is beginning to look like a closer, and it is up to the remaining bullpen arms to carve out roles as well.