San Francisco Giants: First-Quarter Progress Report

Pitching

Key Stats

• 4th in MLB: 3.21 ERA as a team
• 3rd in MLB: 2.29 ERA for bullpen
• 2nd in MLB: 17 saves
• 2nd in MLB: .213 opponent batting average

The Giants’ bullpen has been elite this year. This is one of the best bullpens in MLB, and they’re a big part of the Giants’ success this season so far too.

The Giants’ starting pitching has shown improvements from last season, but certain members of the rotation could become more consistent.

Matt Cain has a 3.92 ERA, and he has a 3.07 ERA at home. He has shown flashes of the 2012 Matt Cain but has been a little inconsistent.

Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Tim Lincecum has been the weakest link in the starting rotation so far. He has a 4.74 ERA, and like last season, he’s struggling to find consistency. At times, his command is stellar, and at times, he has no control of his pitches at all. His command varies with every start, and that’s what is so frustrating about his pitching. He has lowered his ERA from 9.90 ERA on April 9th though.

The Giants have seen pretty incredible pitching from Tim Hudson, Madison Bumgarner, and Ryan Vogelsong though. Hudson has been the ace of the pitching staff so far. He has a 2.09 ERA, 38 strikeouts, and just four walks in 60.1 innings and eight starts. He’s kept his pitch count down, pitched into the late innings, limited his walks, and he’s dominated because of this.

Bumgarner hasn’t been perfect, but he still has a 3.38 ERA. He also has been incredible away from AT&T Park, as he has a 1.88 ERA on the road.

Vogelsong struggled to start the season, as he had a 5.40 ERA in April. However, he turned it around in May, as he currently has a 2.05 ERA in May and a 3.62 ERA overall.

The Giants know that World Series titles are won with stellar starting pitching, so the starters are going to have to maintain consistency for the rest of the season.