Rookie Webb gives franchise hope for future
ATLANTA >> Of the 36 active players on the Giants’ roster, no one has had a greater chance to make an impression on the team’s top decisionmakers in September than rookie starter Logan Webb.
At 22, the organization’s top
pitching prospect is the youngest member of the Giants’ team and a player the front office is hoping it can count on to enjoy a breakout season in 2020.
If Sunday’s outing is a sign of what’s to come, Webb can enter spring training with a legitimate chance to crack the Giants’ 2020 Opening Day rotation. With six innings of one-run ball against the top team in the National League East, Webb and the Giants secured a 4-1 win over the Atlanta Braves.
“I think all of the young guys, that’s what we’re trying to look to do when we come up here,” Webb said. “Obviously do well now, but set ourselves up for the future as well. It’s definitely a good learning experience.”
Third baseman Evan Longoria drove in a pair of runs and left fielder Joey Rickard went
2 for 4 with a key two-run double to help Webb notch his first win since Aug. 17, when he made his MLB debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“It started with Logan,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Webb set the tone. Great job pounding the strike zone.”
Rookie reliever Tyler Rogers continued a dominant run to begin his major league career, tossing two scoreless innings in relief of Webb while lowering his ERA to 1.23 in 14 2/3 innings this year. With a 42-39 road record and a 33-42 mark with six games left to play at home, the Giants will become the first team since the 2014 Tampa Bay Rays to finish a season with a winning road record and a .500 record or worse overall.
“We need to be better at home, obviously,” Longoria said. “I think it’s good when you feel like the team doesn’t have a fear of going and playing on the road and you feel like you can go on the road and play well. But you have to play well in your home ballpark.”
Webb has endured an upand-down start to his major league career and battled command issues in a number of starts, but he was excellent against Atlanta on Sunday. After allowing three runs in five innings at Fenway Park earlier this week, Webb matched his career-high with seven strikeouts against a Braves lineup that was down three of its top four hitters in Ronald Acuña, Jr., Ozzie Albies and Josh Donaldson.
“Sometimes the bad experiences help out in the future,” Webb said. “But it’s always good to build that confidence going into the end of the year and next year.”
The right-hander needed just 36 pitches to complete four shutout innings against the Braves and despite encountering trouble in the fifth inning, Webb kept Atlanta off the board with back-to-back strikeouts to wrap up a 27-pitch frame.
If the Giants were in the midst of a playoff race, it’s unlikely Webb would be receiving such an extended audition in the starting rotation. But with the organization focused on building a young pitcher’s confidence against major league hitters, Webb has been granted the opportunity to start on a regular basis and he’s turned in a handful of promising outings.
“It was tough being down there and obviously with the circumstances, I didn’t know if I would be here or not,” said Webb, who missed half the season in the minors after receiving a suspension for PED usage. “I’m happy I’m here.”
The Giants had 12 hardhit balls against Braves starter Dallas Keuchel on Sunday, but it took until the sixth inning for their offense to finally score. A double into right-center field from Longoria brought home the team’s first run before Rickard added onto their lead with a two-run double down the left field line later in the inning.
Rickard’s extra-base hit came at the end of a tough seven-pitch at-bat against Keuchel and doubled his RBI total with the Giants this year. Rickard had a rough major league track record when he was acquired by the Giants on a waiver claim in June, but he’s recorded 13 hits in 44 at-bats (.295) with the Giants as Bochy has focused on finding him opportunities against left-handed pitchers.
“He’s a bat that I thought was as hot as anybody,” Bochy said.
Sunday’s victory marked the 2,001st of Bochy’s career and his last on the road if he is committed to his decision to stay retired. The Giants manager explained prior to Sunday’s game that he can do without the long flights and the late-night arrivals at hotels, but he will miss many aspects of life on the road in baseball. Bochy said road trips provide him an opportunity to spend more time with players and his coaches and learn about them on a more personal level. That learning process is more challenging during the month of September, when rosters expand and a large crop of newcomers arrives in the clubhouse. In Webb’s case, the rookie made it a little easier for Bochy.
By outperforming Keuchel and picking up a win, Webb showed Bochy exactly what he’s capable of.
“He’s got the weapons and the arsenal to pitch up here,” Bochy said. “He’s got the command, too. You saw today when he’s on and he’s only going to get better.”