Rogers, McGee seeing heavy workload early
Watch out Jim Brower and Julián Tavárez, because a record with your name on it could be in jeopardy.
It’s admittedly a stretch to think any pitcher will challenge the Giants’ franchise record for single-season appearances (89), but two weeks into the regular season, righty Tyler Rogers and lefty Jake McGee are both on pace to throw in 108 games.
Yes, you read that right. Incuding Saturday’s game, Rogers and McGee have each appeared in nine of the Giants’ games and are two of the biggest reasons why the team is off to an 8-5 start. Manager Gabe Kapler loves having two reliable pitchers to turn to in high-leverage situations, but he admitted pregame on Wednesday that he has to be careful about picking and choosing his spots. McGee gave up 2 runs in the ninth for his first blown save Saturday.
“Rogers is on pace to throw in a lot of games, and it’s really not fair to do to Rog to put all the burden on him to go through tough pockets of right-handed hitters,” Kapler said earlier this week.
No, it’s not fair, but with Matt Wisler’s struggles and Reyes Moronta’s flexor injury, the Giants don’t have another righthander they can trust. The Giants know that needs to change, but hours after Kapler said he didn’t want Rogers to have to shoulder such a significant load, he turned to him in the eighth inning of a 2-0 ballgame with a chance to secure a series win on the line Wednesday against the Rockies.
“We’re going to try to win every single
baseball game and sometimes that means pushing guys past their comfort level,” Kapler said. “But we definitely have to be cognizant of the workloads. Both (Rogers and McGee) are on pace to pitch a lot of baseball games. I was talking to McGee and I said, ‘The only way we can get you an off day is by actually having an off day.’ ”
Thursday’s off day came at the right time.
A consideration the Giants may have: Using Logan Webb as either a high-leverage reliever or as a long man who can finish games. Let’s say Webb enters in the seventh inning, as he did on Wednesday. Instead of leaving him in for three outs, the Giants may want to allow him to try to get all nine, which would keep Webb stretched out and give a day off to the relievers who need it most.
Whatever the Giants decide, they are well aware the current pace for Rogers and McGee is unsustainable. The results have been great, but the duo needs help.