San Francisco Giants & the Week That Was: Opening Week

Giant Killer of the Week: Ross Stripling

Dodgers’ pitcher Ross Stripling made his major league debut on Friday night in the second game of the four-game set. Despite never having even pitched in Triple-A, the 26-year-old toed the rubber against the Giants and went toe-to-toe with a former All-Star pitcher, Matt Cain, and a Giants’ offense that scored 12 runs the previous night.

Stripling’s big curveball and moving changeup tied up Giants’ hitters all night long. He allowed his first baserunner with one out in the fourth inning, losing Joe Panik for a walk. After a walk immediately after to Hunter Pence, Stripling regained his composure and retired the next two in order to end the scoring threat. After clean fifth and sixth innings, Stripling allowed another walk, this one to Pence again, to lead off the seventh, but induced a groundball double play from Belt and finished the seventh inning with a no-hitter.

Brandon Crawford led off the eighth by harmlessly fly out to medium-deep right field, but Stripling allowed another walk, his fourth, to the next batter Angel Pagan, with ball four coming on pitch 100. It would be the last pitch from Stripling, who was removed in favor of Chris Hatcher, who gave up a two-run home run to the first batter he would face, Trevor Brown, that ruined Stripling’s potential no-hitter and the shutout while tying the game at two. Crawford’s home run in the bottom of the 10th sealed the game for the Giants.

Next: Giants, Belt Agree on Extension

The game didn’t end the way he wanted to, but Stripling made quite an impact in his major league debut. He still hasn’t allowed a hit, although he was charged with a run because of the walk that ended his night. With 15 games left between the two teams, the Giants should have another chance at some point this year to crack the hit column against Stripling.