SAN FRANCISCO — Reyes Moronta has only 11.1 innings in the major leagues to his name, but he pitched as if he was a seasoned veteran late in Saturday night’s extra-inning 7-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. His impressive performance caught the eye of manager Bruce Bochy, who praised the young pitcher’s potential.
“I think you’re looking at the set-up guy.” Bochy said. “But I wouldn’t rule out him being a closer. You’re looking at a guy throwing 95-96 with a good slider and has that mentality that you love from a guy in the backend of a game.”
Moronta entered in the 12th and went on to pitch two scoreless innings in relief, giving up only one hit. Although he struggled with his command, surrounding three walks, he blew the Dodgers away with four strikeouts.
Those two frames upped Moronta to 4.2 inning pitched this season, in which he’s only allowed two hits and five walks with six strikeouts.
“There’s no fear,” Bochy said. “He comes at you. Occasionally, his command gets a little bit off, but it’s not because of the situation. He’s getting better at that. We saw last night what he’s capable of doing.”
