Braves' botched handling of rain delay gives SF Giants a much messier pitching picture

After the botched handling of yesterday's rain delay between the SF Giants and Atlanta Braves in which the two teams got an inning and a half of play in before rain stopped play and they did not officially postpone the game for hours, San Francisco's pitching staff is in trouble.

Given how thin the SF Giants' pitching staff is, they probably didn't need a situation like this one. After Tuesday's game was eventually suspended due to excessive rain, Robbie Ray is now lined up to pick up where Adrian Houser left off in the second inning on Wednesday at 11 AM PST. Not only did the suspended game waste Houser's turn in the rotation — though he had allowed two runs in the first inning, so already not a dominant start — but it also put the Giants in a position to throw a bullpen game in the nightcap.

The offense came out firing in the two innings of action against Grant Holmes, collecting four hits, drawing three walks, and putting seven runners on base. They grabbed an early 1-0 lead after Arraez's leadoff double and Lee's sacrifice fly. Drake Baldwin, fresh off the injured list, answered immediately with a 473-foot moonshot to center — the longest homer in MLB this season — before one-time Giant Mauricio Dubón gave the Braves a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the second, Bryce Eldridge tied the game with a bases-loaded walk — extending his on-base streak to 21 games — and Matt Chapman put his team back in front with another sacrifice fly — his 40th RBI of the season — before the officials eventually decided to put the game on hold. Former Giant Mike Yastrzemski will be at the plate in the bottom of the second when the game resumes.

Can the pitching survive ?

The Giants have their ace, Logan Webb, and every time he's on the mound, every Giants fan should feel good about their team's chances, especially when he pitches like he has over his last four starts. The issue has been the rest of the rotation. In the 60 games in which Webb was not the starter, the pitching staff has posted a 4.93 ERA — which would be the third-worst in MLB — and a 1.41 WHIP, issued 3.78 walks per nine innings, and put up a 14-30 record.

Last season, Robbie Ray became a reliable arm to pick up a win, as he collected 11 of them in 32 starts. It's been more complicated so far this year, with Ray picking up just four wins in 14 starts while already being charged with six losses. And the team he faces today, the Atlanta Braves, hasn't been a great matchup for him at all.

In his eight starts against the Braves, Ray has posted a 5.90 ERA and owns a 1-4 record. His last appearance against Atlanta came on August 14, 2024, and it was an absolute disaster. In his fifth start in a Giants uniform, Ray failed to make it out of the first inning after hitting the first two batters he faced, issuing three walks, and allowing a grand slam before exiting after just 2/3 of an inning. The Giants ended up losing that game 13-2.

The hope is that Ray can stay in the game as long as possible in order to keep the bullpen as fresh as possible for the second game, which is expected to be a bullpen game. The Giants will be allowed a 27th player for that game, and Tony Vitello indicated that Matt Gage could be that player.

The 33-year-old made his first rehab appearance with the San Jose Giants last Saturday since being placed on the injured list on June 3. He threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings and could be used as an opener. The Giants have flexibility with their bullpen, as every available reliever except Caleb Kilian is on at least three days' rest. JT Brubaker, who's pitched multiple innings eight times this season, is the most likely candidate to handle the bulk.

As for the Braves, they elected to keep their scheduled starter, JR Ritchie, for the second game and use a bridge reliever to finish the resumed game. Didier Fuentes appears to be the most logical candidate to fill that role. Fuentes has pitched multiple innings five times this season, though he hasn't done it since May 12. He's been very impressive over his last few appearances, allowing just two runs across his last 17 outings and 19 innings. Even if things were to go south with Fuentes, the Braves can rely on their elite bullpen, one that ranks first in ERA (2.82), first in WHIP (1.11), first in BB/9 (3.0), and second in opponents' batting average (.211).

JR Ritchie, a 22-year-old rookie, will make his seventh appearance and sixth start of the season. He posted a 6.08 ERA over three starts in May before getting optioned on May 19, but was recalled on June 12 following a couple of injuries to the Braves' pitching staff. In his only appearance since, Ritchie threw five scoreless innings in a bulk-relief outing against the Mets last week.

His two main weaknesses have been his command and his changeup. He's allowed at least two walks in five of his six outings so far this season, including six in five innings against the Mariners on May 4. Meanwhile, opponents are batting .296 with a .519 slugging percentage against his changeup, a pitch he uses just over 18% of the time. On the flip side, his curveball has been deadly. It's produced a 27.7% whiff rate and a 46.9% strikeout rate, while opponents are batting just .143 against it.

Last doubleheader was a disaster

The settings were different, but the last time the Giants were forced to play two games in a day, the end result was close to a worst-case scenario. Back in April, the Giants decided to go with two starters instead of a bullpen game.

After both a very solid start from Logan Webb (7.0 IP, 1 ER) and a subpar one from Adrian Houser (4.2 IP, 3 ER), the two games took a dramatic turn in the late innings. First, in Game 1, Ryan Walker blew a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, and then, in Game 2, Keaton Winn blew a one-run lead in the ninth, while Matt Gage picked up the loss in the 10th inning. The Giants proceeded to lose their next three games in Tampa Bay, scoring just two runs over the series.

It is still only June, but this doubleheader feels important. A couple of wins against the best team in baseball would clinch them just their second series win since May 24 and inject some much-needed momentum. A couple of losses could further darken an already bleak outlook.

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