Mirage? Nope: Giants win one
Stratton’s sparkling start helps stop losing streak at 11
SAN FRANCISCO >> If you had to do a double take, you weren’t the only one.
The Giants hadn’t formed lines to slap hands in the middle of the diamond following a victory since the end of August.
They hadn’t embraced a starting pitcher who finished off of a shutout win all year. But after right-hander Chris Stratton yielded just two hits in nine brilliant innings, the Giants enjoyed a rare celebration in honor of a 2-0 win over the first-place Colorado Rockies.
“A little weird,” Stratton said of the scene. “There’s been some times where I’ve come out of the pen and finished a game, but it was definitely one for the record books for me.”
With a fastball that he spotted on both sides of the plate and an effective mix of breaking pitches that kept the likes of Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story off balance, Stratton snapped the club’s San Francisco-era record 11game losing streak with a heroic performance that won’t soon be forgotten.
“It takes something like this,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We’re being challenged right now trying to get runs on the board.”
Stratton is just the third National League West pitcher to toss a complete game this season, joining Diamondbacks starters Patrick Corbin and Clay Buchholz as the only other starters to accomplish the increasingly rare feat.
“It was something new, I hadn’t done it before,” Stratton said. “I’m glad (Bochy) had the faith in me to go out and finish the game.
The Giants scored a pair in the bottom of the second against Tyler Anderson on a two-run single from Austin Slater, but they didn’t need much thanks to Stratton’s excellence.
After allowing eight earned runs in a July 3 outing at Coors Field that forced the Giants to demote Stratton to Triple-A, the 28-year-old reminisced about shutting down the team that sidetracked his season.
“That was kind of the reason for one of my demotions was this team,” Stratton said. “I faced them right before I got demoted. They’re a great lineup and they hit some balls hard tonight, they just so happened to go right to some people.”
The loudest out of the night came off of Arenado’s bat in the sixth inning, as he hit a laser toward the gap in left-center. With a leaping effort at the wall, left fielder Gregor Blanco hauled in the line drive and helped Stratton preserve his shutout.
Like Stratton, Blanco spent a portion of the year with Triple-A Sacramento, but he said the pitcher took the demotion professionally and used the opportunity to iron out his mechanics.
“It’s not easy, you can see guys when they go down they get frustrated,” Blanco said. “But in this case it wasn’t the case. I think you can see since he got called up, he’s done a lot better.”
In five starts since returning to the major leagues, Stratton has
posted a 2.09 ERA and recorded scoreless outings against two division opponents. Aside from blanking Colorado on Friday, he also set his previous career-high with eight shutout frames against the Diamondbacks on Aug. 27.
“If you don’t believe in yourself, then who can believe in you,” Stratton said. “I appreciate them sending me down and giving me some guidance there to let me work through some things. Hopefully I can continue to build on this going into next year as well.”
Stratton was the first Giant to throw a complete game since Jeff Samardzija accomplished the feat Aug. 28, 2017, at Petco Park, when he beat the Padres. Samardzija’s win also came in a lost season, but Stratton gave the 2018 Giants an emotional lift after the club tied the Detroit Tigers for the longest losing streak in the big leagues this year.
“It seems like we just won a World Series or something like that,” Blanco said. “I think it’s amazing.”
Stratton needed 114 pitches to pick up his 10th win of the year as he became the first Giants pitcher to hit that mark since 2016. As he continues to work his way back into consideration for a fulltime role in 2019, the Giants are continuing to evaluate every level of their organization.
Team CEO Larry Baer
said Thursday that the Giants plan to “shake it up” this winter, and that includes adjusting the core of a roster that’s headed for a second consecutive losing season.
The shakeup began Friday as strength and conditioning coach Carl Kochan was relieved of his duties prior to the team’s series against the Rockies.