Ross Stripling vs. Taijuan Walker.
With a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night, the San Francisco Giants have put themselves in position to earn their first sweep of the season, which would certainly be a very nice thing.
It won’t be easy, however, as the Giants are at the back of their rotation, where they’ve struggled all year to find someone who can pitch a decent game. They’re once again turning to righty Ross Stripling, an offseason investment who has been dreadful this season. In eight games and four starts this year, Stripling is 0-2 with a 7.14 ERA, a 7.17 FIP, and 24 strikeouts to nine walks in 29 innings. Despite being 60th in innings pitched, Stripling leads the National League (in the bad way) in home runs allowed, with 10. He gave up four runs in 3.1 innings out of the bullpen in his last appearance, and allowed five runs in as many innings in his last start.
If there’s any consolation in this game, it’s that the Giants only gave Stripling a two-year deal worth $25 million. The Phillies gave one of their offseason signings, right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker, four years and $72 million, and he hasn’t been a whole lot better than Stripling. He takes the mound today with a 3-2 record, a 5.75 ERA, a 5.25 FIP, and 38 strikeouts to 17 walks in 40.2 innings. He’s been much better in his last two starts though, giving up three runs in six innings to the Colorado Rockies (at Coors Field), and one run in six innings to the Boston Red Sox.
The battle of offseason signings who are trying to get back on track! Just what we all dreamed of.
Lineups
Giants
- LaMonte Wade Jr. (L) — 1B — 161 OPS+
- Thairo Estrada (R) — 2B — 130 OPS+
- Michael Conforto (L) — RF — 110 OPS+
- Wilmer Flores (R) — DH — 109 OPS+
- Mike Yastrzemski (L) — CF — 122 OPS+
- Casey Schmitt (R) — 3B — 220 OPS+
- Blake Sabol (L) — LF — 114 OPS+
- Brandon Crawford (L) — SS — 55 OPS+
- Joey Bart (R) — C — 57 OPS+
P. Ross Stripling — RHP — 7.17 FIP
Phillies
- Bryson Stott (L) — 2B — 88 OPS+
- Trea Turner (R) — SS — 94 OPS+
- Bryce Harper (L) — DH — 150 OPS+
- Nick Castellanos (R) — RF — 129 OPS+
- Kyle Schwarber (L) — LF — 96 OPS+
- J.T. Realmuto (R) — C — 125 OPS+
- Alec Bohm (R) — 3B — 109 OPS+
- Brandon Marsh (L) — CF — 157 OPS+
- Koby Clemens (L) — 1B — 95 OPS+
P. Taijuan Walker — RHP — 5.25 FIP
Game #43
Who: San Francisco Giants (19-23) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (20-22)
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
When: 12:45 p.m. PT
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area (available on fuboTV)
National broadcast: n/a
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM