Rookie pitcher could save Giants' playoff hopes
The San Francisco Giants have relied heavily on their excellent bullpen this year. But it's a rookie starter that might lift them to the playoffs.
Super-prospect Kyle Harrison struck out 11 batters in his second major-league start to lead the Giants to a 4-1 victory against the Cincinnati Reds. The win leapfrogged the Giants over the Reds and put them just a half-game out of the third wild-card spot in the National League.
The only San Francisco pitcher to strike out more hitters in his home debut was Hall of Famer Juan Marichal, who fanned 12 in 1959. Harrison struck out the side in the first inning, then whiffed two hitters in each of the next three innings, striking out nine of 14 batters through four innings. He finished with 11 strikeouts in 6.1 innings, yielding just three hits and two walks.
A fellow hard-throwing rookie helped Harrison preserve his shutout after he left the game with two runners on in the seventh. On a single to right field, Luis Matos fired a 97.7 mph laser home to nail Christian Encarnacion-Strand at home.
After years of leaning heavily on their championship corps from 2010-2014, the Giants are getting incredible contributions from their rookies this year. Rookie catcher Patrick Bailey hit an RBI double in the fourth. Rookie center fielder Wade Meckler doubled in a run in the sixth. They also started first-year third baseman Casey Schmidt and left fielder Heliot Ramos, who played just nine games in the majors in 2022. And rookie reliever Ryan Walker got them out of a jam.
The Giants have continually used relief pitchers as "openers," throwing one or two innings to start the game, or tandem starters, where pitchers like Ross Stripling, Sean Manaea and Tristan Beck (another rookie) combine for multiple relief innings. Though they've been successful, it's a lot of usage for the bullpen.
Now with Harrison alongside Logan Webb, who has thrown the most innings in baseball, manager Gabe Kapler can deploy his bullpen more tactically, and give some of their high-usage pitchers some relief. It's a lot to ask a rookie to save the season, but the Giants have been asking - and getting - a lot from their rookies this year.
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