YOUTH SERVES
Rookies Slater, Suárez highlight narrow victory over Diamondbacks
PHOENIX >> It’s no secret the Giants have fielded one of the oldest rosters in baseball, relying on a core group of experienced veterans who are tasked with forging a path into contention in the National League West.
That roster took a big step forward with a series-opening 2-1 win against the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, but the Giants took that step thanks to their youngest players.
Rookies Austin Slater and Andrew Suárez weren’t projected for major roles this season, but they shared the spotlight in an impressive effort that helped the Giants move to 41/2 games behind Arizona in the standings.
“It was a great win and it started with Suárez,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “What a terrific job he did. Had everything going. Had some tough luck with five infield hits, but that kid pitched his heart out, and Slater stepped up.”
Slater opened the scoring for the night with an RBI double in the second before ripping another opposite-field double to break a 1-1 tie in the seventh. Suárez did the rest of the heavy lifting, working six innings against a tough Arizona lineup that tagged him for four earned runs in his major league debut April 11.
The duo received a lift from a third rookie, reliever Reyes Moronta, who tossed a scoreless seventh inning and retired D’backs slugger Paul Goldschmidt to end a 1-2-3 inning. San Francisco did
need a few veterans to pitch in, as left-hander Tony Watson worked the eighth before Will Smith picked up his second career save and his first since April 13, 2014, when he played for the Brewers.
“It’s fun to see young guys come up and have success like that,” Smith said. “Slater had an incredible night, Reyes did what he’s been doing all year, and Andy threw the ball great, too.”
With veterans Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija set to rejoin the Giants rotation within the next two weeks, Suárez understands each outing is an opportunity to prove he belongs on the starting staff. Bochy indicated the Giants have discussed shifting Suárez and some of the other young starters to the bullpen to clear space for Cueto and Samardzija, but Suárez’s most recent outings have made that move increasingly difficult.
Suárez was a victim of bad luck for the first half of Friday’s contest, allowing five infield hits including one in the third that allowed Arizona to load the bases and one in the fifth that advanced Jon Jay into scoring position. The rookie managed to keep his poise, ending both innings by inducing groundouts that prevented the Diamondbacks from scratching a run across.
“It happens but I just made sure not to overreact,” Suárez said of the infield hits. “After that I just made sure to minimize damage and try to get some groundouts.”
The Giants struck first against Patrick Corbin as Slater roped a one-out liner into the right-field corner in the second. Slater’s double scored Buster Posey, and was the first of three opposite-field hits for him against three left-handed pitchers.
“Good at-bats up there and in the clutch, too,” Bochy said. “The really delivered. He did the damage today and you’re looking for someone to come through against (Patrick) Corbin.”
Arizona finally did even the score against Suárez in the sixth inning after second
baseman Ketel Marte led off the inning with a double over Andrew McCutchen’s head in right field. The D’backs’ fifth infield hit of the night moved Marte to third before he raced home on Jake Lamb ‘ssacrifice fly.
That was all the damage the D’backs did against Suárez, who lowered his ERA to 4.18 with six innings of one-run ball. After his ERA skyrocketed to 5.68 following a loss to the Astros on May 22, the lefthander posted impressive numbers throughout the month of June, compiling three quality starts while allowing two runs or fewer in five of his six outings.
“I’ve had a feel for everything lately,” Suárez said. “I’ve been working in between starts on staying like that and keep making my pitches.”
For decision-makers who will rely on recency bias to determine who loses a spot in the Giants rotation, the résumé Suárez built over the last several weeks is hard to ignore. With a June ERA of 2.62, Suárez stated his case to continue starting, and the rest is now out of his hands.
“We have some difficult decisions to make the way these guys are throwing,” Bochy said. “They’re doing what they hope you do and that’s make these decisions tough.”
• Cueto (elbow sprain) tossed four scoreless innings and racked up six strikeouts in a rehab start for Triple-A Sacramento Friday. Bochy said the Giants will check on Cueto’s health before determining whether to have the right-hander make an additional rehab start.