Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Conner Menez was optioned, clearly, because the Giants have a quota.
ZZ Top only has two never-ending beards that obscure faces, and so must the Giants.
Replacing Menez’s flowing red beard was John Brebbia’s emerging red beard, which is still developing — he shaved the first day of the season and has plans to grow it back out — but in his Cardinals heyday, he could have doubled as a Civil War general.
Still, as Brebbia debuts for the Giants and represents a significant midseason addition, he feels humbled alongside the sent-down Menez and Zack Littell.
“I would like to take myself out of the running for best red beard because I have a lot of work to do to catch up to [Menez and Littell],” Brebbia said on a recent phone call. “But I’ve got a little baby beard rolling in there.”
The beard looked clean and so did his first inning of work since Sept. 29, 2019. In his first appearance since June 1, 2020, Tommy John surgery, the 31-year-old was perfect against Philadelphia on Sunday, throwing 10 pitches (and eight strikes) in a 1-2-3 inning that included a strikeout. He threw three fastballs that averaged 94 mph — half a mile per hour faster than his 2019 average. The rest were sliders, which drop a bit more than they had before the surgery.
He looked a lot like the pitcher who Gabe Kapler has said was one of the best righty relievers in baseball in 2017-19, when Brebbia posted a 3.14 ERA.
“I think [the stuff is] pretty close,” Brebbia said after he allowed three runs in seven innings with Triple-A Sacramento, including 11 strikeouts. “Everything feels pretty good coming out of the hand. … I feel like it’s kind of the same. When I go out and give up seven runs without getting an out, maybe then you can ask me and I’ll say, yeah, it’s different. For right now, it seems OK.”
Brebbia has a joke, often self-deprecating, at every turn. He says he wore out Tyler Beede, who’s probably “so sick and tired of me,” with questions because Beede’s surgery preceded Brebbia’s and they followed similar timelines.
Relievers typically can return sooner than starters, and Beede’s command has not returned as quickly at Brebbia’s. He needed eight rehab outings for the Giants to deem him ready, even if Brebbia did not know when they were coming; he asked Giants officials to refrain from giving him a heads-up about when he would pitch because he wanted to simulate actual major league relief pitching.
The very early returns have been promising for a team that wants to see everything it has internally before the trade deadline arrives. Jake McGee has been excellent when rested and poor when his fastball is drained; Tyler Rogers has been his own brand of dominant, but strikes out few; Littell and Dominic Leone have been solid righty options, while Jarlin Garcia has been more trusted than Jose Alvarez as lefties. More will need to be seen from Jimmie Sherfy and Brebbia.
Do the Giants have a bullpen they feel could win them a World Series? It’s a somewhat shocking question, considering the expectations a few months ago, but it’s not stunning for Brebbia.
“I would say that pitching against the Giants, I’m not surprised. Please don’t look at my career numbers against this lineup,” said Brebbia, who has allowed five runs in 6 2/3 innings (6.75 ERA) against San Francisco. “I do know that the projections had a dogfight between the Dodgers and Padres, but I think one of my favorite things about baseball is that the projections are right maybe 30 percent of the time.
“We knew we had a good team in spring training. I think the front office and coaching staff knew we had a good team heading into spring training. When we got there and saw everyone play, it felt like it matched.”
Judging by the beard that Brebbia is growing, he might be a match, too.
“I don’t know exactly what the plan is for Menez and Littell, I haven’t talked to them too much at length, but I hope that they stay strong,” Brebbia said. “Because I’d love to see these things roll into a World Series looking fierce.”