How a move to the bullpen revitalized SF Giants veteran Adrian Houser

I wrote yesterday about the possibility of using an opener in front of Adrian Houser to limit the issues that have hurt him during his time as a regular starter earlier this season. The SF Giants eventually decided to opt for that strategy, and the outcomes were convincing. The team won 5-2 over the Detroit Tigers — one of the league's hottest offenses over the last couple of weeks — and Houser pitched five innings of one-run ball, lowering his ERA to 4.55. The mark sat at 5.73 after his last start in mid-June.

As I mentioned in my latest piece, most of Houser's problems have come in two specific situations: in the first inning and when he's facing a lineup for a third time. Over his 14 opening frames this season, he's posted a 9.64 ERA and allowed seven home runs. When going through the order for a third time, he's pitched to a 9.59 ERA in 12 2/3 innings, and opposing hitters are batting .413 against him. Deploying another pitcher ahead of him has helped solve part of those problems, especially when that pitcher is comfortable against left-handed bats.

Against the Tigers on Friday, Houser navigated the lineup twice and only faced Detroit's Nos. 6-9 hitters a third time. The reason was that JT Brubaker, who's held lefties to a .185 batting average and a .493 OPS this season, first dealt with the tougher lefties at the top of the order.

Brubaker did surrender a run on two hits, but Houser's numbers against lefties in the first innings suggest that it could have gone way worse with Houser on the mound to open, as the 33-year-old has faced 49 lefties in the first inning of games this season and they've collected 16 hits, drawn six walks, driven in 12 runs and recorded six home runs. Left-handed batters have posted a 1.435 OPS in the opening frame against him.

That inability to be effective early in games was part of the reason why the coaching staff decided to demote him to a bullpen role and keep Trevor McDonald in the rotation instead. In hindsight, that demotion might have been a blessing in disguise for him. He posted a 5.73 ERA and 1.58 WHIP over his 14 starts with the franchise while allowing a home run roughly every five innings. Out of the bullpen, his ERA has shrunk to 2.03 in 31 innings, his WHIP is now below 1.00, and he's allowed just three homers during that span. Being removed from the rotation hasn't drastically affected his workload, as he's pitched at least four innings five times since his demotion. He's looked like a completely different pitcher, mainly because he's made some adjustments.

Adrian Houser's demotion to bullpen helped him get his groove back

Houser mentioned in his postgame presser Friday night that his move to the bullpen served as a wake-up call for him. He said that he used that time to do a deep dive on himself and fix some of the mechanical issues that were holding him back. His hands were getting a little stuck close to his body, which derailed his balance and prevented him from having a strong front side. He also noted that he went back to the pitching style he used with the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox last season, when he posted a 3.31 ERA across 21 starts with the two franchises. But when asked whether there was a certain comfort level pitching out of the pen instead of starting on the mound, Houser gave a definitive answer.

"No, I much prefer be a starter," he said to the media. "That's what I signed here to do and that's what I plan to do in the future."

Manager Tony Vitello didn't rule out the possibility of Houser rejoining the rotation at some point this season, especially given the departures of Tyler Mahle and Robbie Ray. But he also mentioned that he wanted to see other players in that opener role, maybe someone like Trent Harris, and Houser is the perfect candidate to take over after him.

Vitello and the Giants want to experiment over those next two months of baseball. Like they did on Friday night, they want to try new things out. Houser will probably get another start before the season ends, but he's also under contract for next year, so the staff needs to figure out the best way to deploy him. So far, all the indications point towards a starter workload out of the bullpen with an opener in front of him.

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