How the SF Giants bullpen order shakes out following the latest injury

The SF Giants placed Erik Miller on the injured list over the weekend. They did not have much depth from the left side, so now the focus will shift to Joey Lucchesi and Scott Alexander in platoon matchups.

How the SF Giants bullpen order shakes out following the latest injury

On the surface, Miller was having a strong year. He had a 1.50 ERA in 36 outings while serving as the primary left-handed reliever out of the bullpen. However, he often pitched with a lot of traffic on the bases, and recorded nearly as many strikeouts (22) as walks (20) in 30 innings.

Nevertheless, Miller was still quite effective in platoon matchups, limiting left-handed hitters to a .578 OPS in 48 plate appearances. As Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle notes, he is expected to miss more than a month with an elbow sprain.

That could change the Giants' plans at the trade deadline. For the time being, the Giants will lean on a pair of veteran options in Joey Lucchesi and Scott Alexander.

The bullpen hierarchy does not change all that much. Randy Rodríguez, Tyler Rogers, and Camilo Doval will still assume the high-leverage spots. Spencer Bivens has quietly put together a nice season, and been used more in key spots lately.

The Giants will need to fill those innings that Miller assumes. Manager Bob Melvin may have tipped his hand already as to who will get the first shot at that role. In Monday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Melvin went with Lucchesi to start the seventh inning.

The game was tied at one at that point, and the Phillies had two left-handed batters coming up in Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh. This would have typically been a spot for Erik Miller. Lucchesi got out of the inning with ease, lowering his ERA to 3.86 in seven outings.

The bullpen is still relatively new for the veteran pitcher. He had made 81 career appearances prior to this season, with only four of those coming out of the bullpen. Lucchesi does not have the overpowering velocity typically seen in relievers. His fastball sits in the low 90's, and he relies primarily on a curveball (churve?) as his secondary option. There are a lot of moving parts to his delivery, giving him an element of funkiness.

On the other hand, Scott Alexander is a veteran reliever with a lot of experience throwing in leverage spots. The Giants reunited with him on a minor league deal in June, and it was just a matter of time before he was added back to the roster.

Alexander has a 3.34 ERA and a 66.6 ground ball rate across 11 seasons, two of which have come with San Francisco. While the lefty reliever has been effective throughout his career, he has not been the most durable option. He has thrown more than 40 innings in a year just three times.

The 35-year-old pitcher put together a quality season with the A's last year, posting a 2.56 ERA across 38.2 innings. He held left-handed hitters to a .419 OPS in 67 plate appearances, so he offers platoon leverage.

The Giants could mix it up depending on performance. For now, it looks like Lucchesi will be the top option against left-handed hitters, with the possibility that Alexander could slot into that spot role.