Heading into the All-Star break, the Giants have tightroped getting as many starts from their top pitchers while also allowing them to have ample rest for the second half.
For Logan Webb, there was never a question. San Francisco needs to give its ace the ball as many times as possible — and he showed why in Sunday’s finale.
Webb, the workhorse, pitched on regular rest for the club’s last game before the All-Star break. He spun one of the best starts of his career, and will be ready to post again in SF’s first series after the layoff in Pittsburgh, too.
After his first career complete game shutout, Webb leads MLB in innings pitched (126) at the break. Webb, at his sharpest, dominated the last-place Rockies, pumping his fist after striking out the side in the ninth inning.
The right-hander fanned 10, walked none and allowed seven hits in a masterclass of pitching efficiency. The Giants (49-41) needed every single one of Webb’s 103 pitches in a 1-0 win to secure a victory in the last series before the All-Star break.
“I really want to get to 200 innings,” Webb said postgame. “I came up with a lot of guys who were really good at doing that. I think that kind of old school part of them really rubbed off on me. I just want to be able to say I threw 200 innings for the team and go out every five days. Got a long way to go, a whole other half. But it shows that the team trusts me to go out there and throw a lot of innings.”
By leaning especially hard on his changeup — which catcher Patrick Bailey called the best he’s seen Webb throw — Webb peppered the strike zone and mostly kept the ball on the ground.
Strong defensive plays by Casey Schmitt and Mike Yastrzemski helped Webb out behind him, but the offense — as it has for most of Webb’s starts — lessened the righty’s margin for error. Yastrzemski’s in particular, an outfield assist to put out the first batter of the game, helped Webb avoid trouble.
“That was a nasty play,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said of Yastrzemski’s play in right field. “It’s really challenging to play that corner. Nobody does it better.”
Run support has been an issue for Webb’s starts. San Francisco has now scored two or fewer runs in eight of his 19 starts. The order has averaged 2.57 runs behind Webb, which has hurt his win-loss record.
J.D. Davis broke a scoreless tie with a towering solo home run to lead off the fourth inning. Against left-hander Kyle Freeland, Davis socked a first-pitch slider over the plate 421 feet over the Giants’ bullpen.
He’d cooled off considerably since the first month of the season, but Davis’ 11 home runs are still second on the team behind only Michael Conforto (13).
After Davis admired his shot and completed his home run trot, he’d become the only player to touch home all game.
Webb fielded his position well on a 3-6-1 double play to end the sixth inning; he needed just 75 pitches to toss six scoreless frames. Then in the seventh, he induced another double play to cap a four-pitch inning.
“Can’t tell you how satisfying it is to win a game with great starting pitching and defense,” Kapler said. “It’s a dream.”
Because of Webb’s dominance, and San Francisco’s offensive inactivity, the game flew by. Fans stood for the seventh-inning stretch at 2:26 — 80 minutes after first pitch. It ended up being the Giant’s first sub-two hour game of the year; when informed of the duration, Webb joked, “sooner I’ll get to Tahoe.”
Rockies starter Kyle Freeland, who was nearly as effective and efficient as Webb, injured his right shoulder on a freak play in the bottom of the seventh, requiring him to leave the game at 72 pitches.
Even against Colorado’s challenged bullpen, SF’s offense couldn’t muster more runs. There must be something about Webb taking the mound that saps their power.
Yet Webb made it irrelevant. He worked around a double in the eighth inning by striking out Brenton Doyle looking on a sinker and retiring leadoff hitter Jurickson Profar. The Oracle Park crowd rose to its feet as the starter walked back to the dugout and chucked the game ball into the stands.
Fans again erupted when Webb jogged back out to the mound for the ninth. And once more when Kris Bryant struck out on a check swing. They got even louder when Webb fanned Ryan McMahon for his ninth punch out. Every pitch came accompanied by oohs and aahs.
They stood for the entire final inning, rallying around the best player on a team that has exceeded preseason expectations in the first half. Webb felt the energy, reaching back to throw his hardest fastball of the game at 94 mph.
“That was like the playoffs,” Webb said.
When Webb struck out Elias Diaz to end the game, Bailey, the rookie catcher, walked out to the mound to hug him. The image — the face of the franchise and a potential cornerstone catcher — elicited a portrait of a strong first half and the nucleus of a bright future.
“For him, that’s a really special honor,” Bailey said of his congratulatory message. “Really hard to do. And hopefully many more to come.”
