San Francisco Giants 3 Up, 3 Down: First Interleague Series
The San Francisco Giants split a quick, two-game series with the Kansas City Royals, so let’s look at some positives and negatives from the series.
For the start of the new season, this is something I will do after each San Francisco Giants’ series. These articles will take three positive things (3 Up) and three negative things (3 Down) from the games, this time from the Giants’ first interleague series of the season against the Kansas City Royals.
3 UP
1 – Matt Cain’s Stellar Outing
Matt Cain wasn’t able to pitch the last time the Giants faced the Kansas City Royals during the 2014 World Series. He made up for it during the series opener on Tuesday, throwing seven sparkling innings while holding the Royals to one run on four hits and two walks. He didn’t receive a decision for his efforts, but held the Kansas City offense down to allow the Giants to come back and eventually win in extra innings.
Cain’s fastball looks like a completely different pitch than the one he threw in Spring Training. His velocity has gone up a tick or two, and the two-seam movement makes it a weapon that stays away from the barrel of hitters’ bats. After three starts, Cain owns a 3.31 ERA, which is second only to the staff ace.
2 – Buster Posey‘s Return
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Buster Posey was back on the field on Tuesday after being activated from the seven-day concussion disabled list, and immediately got back to swinging a magic wandu. He collected four hits, all singles, in the two-game set, extending his hitting streak to six games.
Posey didn’t make particularly hard contact, and took some very meager swings while striking out three times, but it was great to see number 28 back in the middle of the order again. He might need some time to get comfortable in the batter’s box again and to start shooting line drives, though. Time will tell.
3 – Nick Hundley
Posey was absent from the squat while serving as designated hitter, leaving Nick Hundley to serve as the backstop again. During the series opener on Tuesday, he had maybe the best game of his young Giants’ tenure. With Steven Okert pitching in the eighth inning of a tie game with the bases loaded, Hundley made some very difficult blocks on balls in the dirt, keeping that potential go-ahead run 90 feet away.
The 33-year-old catcher was in the squat for all 11 innings, but still had enough in the tank to leg out a double in the top of the 11th and score on Joe Panik‘s single, which would be the game-winner.