San Francisco Giants’ Pitching Resurgence Has Led Them Back to a Winning Record
Entering the 2015 season, the biggest question mark surrounding the San Francisco Giants was in regards to their starting rotation. Would the ace be able to handle another big workload? Would the former ace be able to maintain his status as the fifth starter? Would the old veterans be healthy and productive?
Through the first few weeks of the season, it looked as if the Giants, and their pitching staff, was in trouble. Good performances by the starters were offset by terrible offensive games. When the starters scuffled, there was no offense to bail them out. Matt Cain and Jake Peavy were hurt. Things looked bad all around, and the team sat 3-9. They were sinking fast, riding an eight-game losing streak.
But the team got on track, led by solid starts and enough offense to get by. Since that skid ended, the Giants are 11-4, and for the first time since five games into the season, they own a record above .500.
Currently, the Giants are riding a five-game winning streak, and it’s no coincidence that the starting pitching has been fantastic through that span. It all started in the Giants’ first interleague matchup, against the Los Angeles Angels.
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In game one, Chris Heston took the ball, and like he’s been throughout his rookie season, he was magnificent. He threw 6.1 innings, allowed one run on five hits, and struck out five. His bullpen couldn’t hold the lead for him, giving Heston a no-decision, but San Francisco pulled it out on the strength of Joe Panik‘s walk-off single.
Not to be outdone by a teammate 13 years his junior, Tim Hudson took the ball in game two, and he pitched like it was 2002 all over again. Hudson became the first Giants’ starter to pitch into the ninth inning, but didn’t record an out as he walked the only batter he faced in the frame. He still went eight innings, and gave up just two hits (both solo home runs) and two walks. The bullpen almost cost Hudson the game, but thanks to a batted ball hitting a runner for the final out, Hudson came away with his first win of the year.
Tim Lincecum continued the good vibes the next day, throwing eight shutout innings, and giving up just three hits and a walk. He struck out just four Angels, looking more and more like a groundball pitcher, a la Hudson or Heston, rather than the Cy Young pitcher he used to be, who struck out everyone he faced. He completed the sweep by earning his second win of the season.
Madison Bumgarner, whose workload in the 2014 postseason brought about questions of how he would pitch this year, erased all doubt with his start in the series opener against the San Diego Padres. Bumgarner held the Friars hitless through six innings, and the only runners to reach against him came via a walk and two errors.
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Justin Upton opened up the seventh with a single, ending the dreams of Bumgarner’s first career no-hitter. Bumgarner went on to complete 7.1 innings, eventually leaving to a huge ovation the forced the normally stoic Bumgarner to tip his cap to the crowd. He allowed only a pair of singles and a walk, bringing back memories of the untouchable Bumgarner from postseason past.
Tuesday’s game was started by the biggest question mark of all. Ryan Vogelsong was coming off a start in which he allowed four home runs, and six runs total in just three innings at Dodger Stadium. After the game, Vogelsong decided he needed a new look, and came out to the Padres’ game sans scraggly beard, and with his game face on.
His curveball was excellent. His command was so much better than his previous start. He looked like 2011 Vogelsong again, and not just because he donned the familiar goatee on his face. In seven innings, he surrendered just three hits and two walks, shutting out the new-look Padres. He also earned his first win of the season.
Over the five-game winning streak, the starters are 4-0 (sorry, Heston!), and own a 0.75 ERA, having given up just three runs in 36.1 innings. They also have a .609 WHIP over that time. In other words, those guys are dealing.
The Giants of recent memory have always lived off of their pitching. When the pitching is going well, so is the rest of the team. They’ve never had the offense that could consistently win offensive shootouts that end in 8-7 final scores. But when the pitchers are throwing like this, every game feels like it’s theirs for the taking.
On Wednesday, the man who started this winning streak will try to keep it going. Heston has loved pitching in his home park this season. At AT&T Park this year, he’s allowed just three earned runs in 21 innings. As the Giants look for their second sweep in as many series, the right guy seems to be going to the mound.
No one knows if this will last, if the pitching will continue to carry the team. It is an odd year, after all. But for right now, there’s a lot of optimism surrounding what was once the biggest weakness on the Giants’ team.