SF Giants lefty Carlos Rodón was electric in his 2022 debut

Carlos Rodón actually pitches for the SF Giants despite the picture above still showing him in a Chicago White Sox uniform. I suppose Getty Images has not made the update yet.

SF Giants lefty Carlos Rodón was electric in his 2022 debut

Rodón was welcomed in his Giants debut with a good ol' fashioned Cain-ing. The left-handed hurler was electric against a Miami Marlins lineup that struggled to make any meaningful contact.

The longtime White Sox pitcher flashed a high-90's four-seam fastball with a biting slider. Both pitches were working on Saturday as he allowed just one earned run on three hits, two walks, and 12 strikeouts.

The high strikeout total was expected as Rodón posted a 12.6 K/9 rate in 2021 and he faced a Marlins team that registered the second-highest strikeout rate (26.2% K rate) in baseball last year. Or to put it differently, a strikeout pitcher was facing a team that struggled to consistently make contact.

To be fair, Giants hitters recorded 14 strikeouts yesterday as well, which was as many as the Marlins registered. It was not a good day for offense on both sides.

The Marlins managed to scratch their first run across the board due to a defensive breakdown. Marlins infielder Jon Berti singled and then advanced to second base on a throwing error by third baseman Wilmer Flores in the third inning. Berti advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored on another wild pitch.

The Giants tied it up in the bottom of the fifth inning with Steven Duggar slashing a double to score Thairo Estrada. That would be the only run that the Giants scored on Saturday.

Jake McGee pitched the seventh inning and allowed a run to the Marlins that proved to be the difference. To their credit, the Giants nearly staged a late rally as Joc Pederson led off the bottom of the ninth with a single.

Brandon Crawford worked a 3-0 count and swung through the next pitch that might have been called a ball. He followed that up by grounding into a double play, erasing the potential threat.

The Giants were not able to get the bat going on Saturday. They look to take the series after splitting the first two games. However, it will not be easy as they face off against lefty Trevor Rogers on Sunday.

Rogers posted a 2.64 ERA in 25 starts for the Marlins in 2021 while finishing in second place in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. The good news is that they will have a new face in the outfield as they look to stack the lineup in favor of right-handed bats against a tough southpaw.