Flo's blast stuns Reds

SF 6  CIN 4

The Giants looked like they would whiff their opener—they struck out 17 times! But they struck back with four runs in a dramatic 9th to overtake the Reds. Jung Hoo Lee walked with one out, Matt Chapman singled him to third, and with two outs Patrick Bailey singled to tie the game. Wilmer Flores then homered to give the Giants the winning margin.

Logan Webb was not ace-like. His command was off: out of 78 pitches only 46 were strikes. He gave up six hits and three walks in his five frames and left with the team behind 3-2. But he kept the ball in the yard and looked like he could have tossed another scoreless inning. He got five ground ball outs including a double play and struck out seven. So, I'll take the positives! Heliot Ramos was responsible for those two runs. He homered with two outs in the 4th after an epic 11-pitch battle. He drove in Lee who had walked with one out. Wilmer had an 11-pitch AB in the 7th. It ended in a strikeout but I love to see that. I had a good feeling when he came to the plate in the 9th and sure enough he delivered.

Randy Rodriguez, Erik Miller, and Tyler Rogers each got an inning. Ryan Walker gave up a run with two outs in the 9th for the only blemish on the 'pen.

It's great to start the season with a win, especially on the road! Tomorrow, oddly, is an off-day. Justin Verlander gets the start on Saturday at 1:10 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants open tomorrow

Opening Day for the San Francisco Giants will be in Cincinnati tomorrow afternoon. Game time is 1:10 Pacific. Logan Webb will match up with Hunter Greene. Baseball is finally here!!

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GO GIANTS!! 

--M.C.

The rotation

The biggest news from Spring Training involves two pitchers who were starters last season but now looking at new roles this season. Young southpaw Kyle Harrison made 24 starts as a rookie but will open the season in AAA after being optioned. He's only 23 and can certainly grow and learn and get back to the bigs real soon. Hayden Birdsong had 16 starts last year but will begin this year in the bullpen. He's pitched well in the pre-season but was pipped for the fifth spot by Landen Roupp. Birdsong like Harrison is just 23 so he's got time to develop. The 26-year old Roupp has fewer ML innings than either of his younger teammates but nonetheless edged them out for the coveted final starter position.

Logan Webb of course remains the Number One and he is expected to be among the league leaders in innings again. He's thrown 200+ in both 2023 and 2024. He's a grizzled ace at age 28. Speaking of grizzled, 33-year old lefty Robbie Ray and 42-year old Justin Verlander get the next two spots. Both have Cy Young Awards on their shelves. JV is Cooperstown-bound but it's hard to count on a pitcher in their 40s. That being said I would not be surprised by a resurgence. Maybe 25 starts, 150 IP, and 2+ WAR? Is that unrealistic? Robbie Ray is just as hard to project. If he can stay healthy and deliver 30 starts he could be Robin to Webb's Batman and the Dynamic Duo could make an impact on the pennant race.

The fourth spot goes to Jordan Hicks. I really liked this move when Farhan Zaidi signed the converted reliever. Hicks has dominant stuff and wanted to re-invent himself as a starter. The experiment worked for a while then collapsed. I appreciate a ballplayer who steps outside of his comfort zone! We'll see if he can find his way in 2025. Perhaps a different usage pattern would help. Most guys don't like a mixed starter/reliever role but we've seen it work. Yusmeiro Petit might be one of the best guys ever to do that. He's proof it's possible!

There's now some depth in the organization. Keaton Winn, Mason Black, Tristan Beck and The Carsons (Whisenhunt, Seymour, and Ragsdale) will all be in Sacramento with Harrison. That bodes well for the future.

 --M.C.

The lineup

The Giants have the best record in the Cactus League. Too bad it doesn't count! But I have to take it as a good sign. The team had few questions going into Spring Training and those seem to be getting answered.

The left side of the infield (Willy Adames at SS and Matt Chapman and 3B) will be very strong. Adames isn't Francisco Lindor but he's in the top ten of MLB shortstops. Having an athletic fielder at SS who also hits and hits for power is now de riguer for a ballclub. Defensive specialists are lower on the depth charts these days. Chapman is even more elite--certainly a top five player. He's up there with guys like Austin Riley and Jose Ramirez. Giants pitchers will love these gloves behind them.

Jung Hoo Lee in center field is the next best player on the team. It's not hard to see him as a 3+ WAR player if he's healthy. Heliot Ramos had a nice breakout last year and earned himself the starting LF job. The MLB average K% (SO/PA) is about 23%. Ramos came in at 26% last year. Walk rates (BB/PA) average 8-9%, Ramos was at 7% in 2024. So--is he poised to improve or regress? If you can answer that you can have Buster's job! Mike Yastrzemski, who has been remarkably consistent in his time with the Giants, will be the right fielder. He's usually easy to project (2+ WAR) but at age 34 time could be catching up with him.

At first base the platoon of LaMonte Wade, Jr. and Wilmer Flores looks great on paper. Mr. OBP and Mr. Lefty-masher should be productive. Flores, unfortunately, had his worst season ever in 2024 on the heels of his best-ever season in 2023. Injuries robbed Wade's power in 2024 but he maintained his excellent on-base skills. The big question mark is young Tyler Fitzgerald. Like Ramos he had a nice breakout but his high K-rate (31%) is concerning. Both players benefited from some high-BABIP luck that ran out as the season came to a close. Fitz probably has enough power to hold on to his job even if he struggles a bit. He's the starting second baseman for 2025.

Catching is Patrick Bailey's bailiwick. He's a glove wizard but has yet to establish himself as a consistent hitter. He's looked good this spring cutting down his strikeouts and getting his average up. With Jerar Encarnacion fracturing his wrist the DH slot looks less certain. We'll probably see a rotation of sorts.

It's not a lineup that will strike fear in the hearts of opposing teams but it ought to be competent. The NL West is so loaded that getting a playoff spot will be tough even with an improved win total. This team will need to play great defense and get good pitching (that's the next post).

Check out this nice article about Buster Posey from Alden Gonzalez at ESPN (h/t Baseball Musings). He's a very competitive fellow, as you would imagine. This isn't his team quite yet. The roster was mostly built by his predecessor. His first task will be to get the best out of the players he has.

--M.C.