SF Giants will need to be more strategic with managing Adrian Houser

On Thursday, Adrian Houser allowed three runs (two earned) against the Milwaukee Brewers but a lot of that damage came later in his outing. Manager Tony Vitello will need to manage Houser more strategically, as he has struggled in the third turn through the lineup.

If this dynamic sounds familiar, it was not too different from how Gabe Kapler had to manage Alex Wood. Once the lineup turned over for the third time, Kapler had to have a quick hook.

Those struggles played out for Houser in his latest start. Once the lineup turned over for a third time, that is when the damage started. All three hitters Houser faced recorded an extra-base hit, including a home run from Jackson Chourio. He was then lifted for Sam Hentges.

This is not a new trend for Houser this year. Opposing hitters have an 1.148 OPS against him in the third turn through the lineup. For comparison, Babe Ruth’s 1.163 OPS is the highest in baseball history among qualified hitters, so hitters are slightly worse than Ruth’s career mark against Houser after they have seen him twice.

SF Giants starter Adrian Houser struggles the the third turn through the lineup

Houser is primarily a fastball-changeup pitcher. He will throw an occasional slider, but he does not have enough variety in his pitch mix to pitch deep into games. By the time hitters have seen him for a third time, they have already seen his entire arsenal a couple of times and gain an advantage with that experience.

The Giants signed the veteran pitcher to be a starter. This was a two-year deal with an option for a third season.

The early returns have not been promising. Houser has pitched to a 5.49 ERA in 12 starts, and the underlying numbers do not point to positive regression. The Giants will want to consider a move to the bullpen soon, but for now, he is pitching in the rotation.

If the Giants want to continue to use Houser out of the rotation, it will force Tony Vitello to manage him delicately. There are plenty of wrinkles in Houser’s profile, including a declining strikeout rate, brutal platoon splits, and struggles in the third turn through the lineup.

Teams are going to stack left-handed hitters against Houser. The Giants cannot do much about that, but they can manage him more effectively. That might include having a quick hook after the second turn through the lineup, or using the ever-popular opener. If the Giants want Houser to produce better results, they will need to get out of their comfort zone.

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