2 exciting trends, 2 to worry about
Gausman, the No. 1 starter, has been one of the best pitchers in baseball
The Giants thought Kevin Gausman, who posted a 4.26 ERA during the first eight seasons of his major league career, could be their tonesetter.
They wanted Gausman to start the season opener in Seattle because they felt he was their ace and deserved the chance to consider himself the leader of the pitching staff. So far, so good.
In two outings this season, Gausman has thrown 13 2/3 innings, allowed nine baserunners and struck out 11 batters. His seven innings of one-run ball on Wednesday against the Padres set the Giants up to secure a series win on the road. While Gausman has a pair of no-decisions for his efforts, there’s no question he’s done everything in his power to position his team for success.
As we evaluate trends that have emerged through the Giants’ first six games, it’s important to highlight Gausman’s efforts and what he’s meant to a starting rotation that’s been a pleasant surprise for manager Gabe Kapler. The starters’ body of work tops our trends the Giants need to see continue, while an underperforming offense leads the list of trends the club needs to reverse as soon as possible.
Two positive trends
1. THE STARTING ROTATION HAS EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS >> The Gi
ants were obviously confident in Gausman, but it’s the pitchers behind him who entered the season with a lot of questions to answer. In the team’s first turn through the rotation, all five starters logged at least five innings and none gave up more than three runs, which is a major reason why the Giants were able to finish their first road trip 3-3.
The team’s lineup underperformed relative to expectations, but the starting rotation has been better than advertised as their 2.60 ERA ranks as the fifth-best mark in the majors through the first week of the season. 2. THE GIANTS ARE HITTING HOME RUNS LIKE AN ELITE OFFENSE >> Third baseman Evan Longoria has launched three home runs — all to right field — and appears to have recovered some of the bat speed that’s gone missing at times during his tenure with the Giants.
Buster Posey and Darin Ruf each have a pair of home runs as Posey slugged two in Seattle while Ruf came through with key drives to center field in San Diego. With Austin Slater, Brandon Crawford, Mike Yastrzemski and Alex Dickerson all on the board, the Giants have some good balance and a number of hitters have already cleared the mental hurdle that exists when they open the season with a home run drought.
Two negative trends 1. THE GIANTS AREN’T GETTING ON BASE >>
All of the home runs the Giants have hit are encouraging, but they’ve yet to run away with an easy win because the offense has struggled so much. After scoring a combined 14 runs in their first two games of the season, the Giants have scored seven over their past four as they had trouble against a tough San Diego rotation at Petco Park this week.
The Giants’ .268 on-base percentage is the sixth-lowest mark in the majors as a number of key hitters have yet to find a rhythm at the plate.
2. THE BULLPEN HAS ALREADY COST THE GIANTS >>
Kapler and Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi spent a decent chunk of the spring talking up a bullpen with more veteran arms and more high-leverage experience, but a group that was rebuilt during the offseason has mostly been a weakness for the club thus far.
After blowing a five-run lead in the opener allowing the Padres to capture a win on Tuesday behind a Victor Caratini home run off Matt Wisler, there are some early concerns the Giants need to straighten out. A 4.91 bullpen ERA ranks 20th in the majors, so there’s plenty of room for improvement.