Let’s hope it goes better.
Happy Wednesday, San Francisco Giants fans. It is indeed a happy Wednesday, as the Giants are going for a sweep today, after beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Tuesday night.
But it won’t be easy, as they’re turning to a struggling arm: right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling. It’s no secret that the two starting pitchers the Giants gave money to this offseason have struggled mightily. Stripling and Sean Manaea and have both been, in a word, awful this year. In two words, really awful. In three words, disappointing and awful.
With Alex Wood returning from the Injured List on Friday, the rotation now has four set names: Wood, Alex Cobb, Anthony DeSclafani, and Logan Webb. Stripling and Manaea are left to duke it out for the fifth spot, and it will surely change based on their performance and the opponent.
Right now it’s Stripling’s turn. Before Tuesday’s game, the Giants talked openly about Manaea being a bullpen arm and, indeed, he was seen warming up during the game, though he never entered. In Manaea’s defense, he’s taking it in stride, saying, “I’ve only got myself to blame. At the end of the day, it’s going to be a blessing in disguise. I’ll go in there with the right mindset and work on things I need to and get my stuff to a consistent shape and obviously try to get guys out in an efficient manner. Whatever that is and whenever those opportunities arise, I’ve just got to take them and run with it.”
Hopefully Manaea can right the ship, and hopefully Stripling can figure things out. In four starts this year he’s given up 13 earned runs in 18.1 innings.
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants go for the sweep this afternoon at 12:45 p.m. PT.