CHICAGO — Returning home from a six-game opening road trip, the Giants will rejoice when their charter flight lands back in San Francisco at about 9 p.m. local time Thursday night. While it will be a quick turnaround to their Friday afternoon home opener, on the other side represents their longest time in their own homes, with their families, since the middle of February.
“We’ve been on planes and buses and trains … five cities in eight or nine days,” manager Gabe Kapler lamented recently. “There’s been a lot of travel.”
The Giants started in Scottsdale, flew to San Francisco, played an exhibition in Oakland, opened the season in New York and ended their trip in Chicago. It came to an end on a positive note Thursday, as the Giants turned in a five-homer explosion to back Alex Wood’s first start and beat the White Sox, 16-6, securing their first series win of the young season.
Here are some observations.
— 1. One turn through the Giants’ rotation, Wood was the odd man out. Navigating two days off in the first week of the season and a seven-man starting staff, the herky-jerky left-hander was the last Giants pitcher to appear in a game.
His time finally came Thursday against the White Sox, and it didn’t last long. But it didn’t matter, as the Giants’ offense picked him up in a big way.
Wood needed 71 pitches to make it two batters into the fourth inning, when Kapler came out with a hook. Seeing his first game action since their March 26 exhibition at the Oakland Coliseum, Wood struggled to throw strikes (40 of his 71 pitches). He walked two batters, surrendered six hits and was tagged for three runs. But he also wasn’t helped by his defense.
Two of the runs were unearned.
With Brandon Crawford nursing tightness in his left forearm (still expected to start Friday’s home opener), Thairo Estrada got his first start at shortstop and couldn’t handle a second-inning ground ball of the bat of catcher Seby Savala. Savala later scored the second run of the inning after advancing into scoring position on successful double steal, and Tim Anderson ripped a middle-middle sinker 107 mph off the bat for a two-RBI knock.
Appearing in his new swingman role out of the bullpen for the second time, Jakob Junis tossed four scoreless innings in relief. He struck out four, walked two and allowed only two hits. After taking over for Wood with two on and no outs in the fourth, Junis allowed one inherited runner to score but escaped larger trouble by coaxing two fly ball outs and getting Anderson swinging with his signature slider.
The Giants will continue to use Junis in the swingman role, and it’s possible their six other starters see time out of the bullpen, as well. While free agent addition Sean Manaea is set to get his first start Saturday against the Royals, he made his club debut with two innings of relief on Monday.
— 2. The Giants return home at .500 after the season’s first six games.
In their three wins, including Thursday’s, they have hit 15 home runs and outscored opponents 35-14. In their three losses, they’ve totaled 11 hits and been beaten by a combined 18-3.
It would appear, after six games, that the Giants’ offense isn’t just going to have good and bad days — they are going to be really good or really bad. Chalk up Thursday, featuring four more home runs, into the “really good” category.
With homers from Michael Conforto, Blake Sabol, Wilmer Flores, Mike Yastrzemski and J.D. Davis on Thursday, the Giants have hit 15 home runs through their first six games, a new franchise record. Thursday’s homer barrage came only a few days after their record-setting power display on Monday. But in between, the Giants were held to one run on two hits for the first eight innings of Wednesday’s 7-3 loss.
The Giants’ 13 home runs against the White Sox tied a franchise record for the most in a three-game series.
— 3. Sabol’s home run was the first of his career, bookending a road trip the Rule 5 catcher/outfielder won’t soon forget.
A mere Pirates farmhand this time last year, Sabol started on opening day in Yankee Stadium, collected his first major league hit the following game and on Thursday went yard for the first time. It was not a cheap shot, either.
In his first at-bat against White Sox starter Lance Lynn, Sabol put a big swing on a 1-0 cutter and drove it deep into the center-field seats. It left the bat at 109 mph and traveled 434 feet. Rounding first base, Sabol soaked in the moment, raising his right arm in the air in celebration.
Sabol added a single in his second at-bat, and in the bottom half of the second almost nabbed his first base runner behind the plate, when Savala sneaked under the tag of David Villar on a double-steal attempt that set up Anderson’s two-run single. The Giants thought enough of the throw to challenge the safe call, but the ruling on the field was upheld. They were likely less keen of Sabol’s back-pick attempt that sailed past first baseman Flores and into right field, or his pitch clock violation for not being set up behind the plate in time.
It added up to a big day for Sabol, who must prove that he can be a reliable major league catcher and that his offensive track record in the minors can translate against big-league pitching if he is going to last the season on the Giants’ active roster. As a Rule 5 pick, Sabol must be offered back to Pittsburgh if he isn’t on the Giants’ 26-man roster.
Notable
— Injured outfielders Mitch Haniger (oblique) and Austin Slater (hamstring) aren’t expected to return by the end of the upcoming homestand. While Haniger’s oblique strain was considered mild, his rehab was delayed by a few days of no activity with stiff back. The Giants have lucked out with their first six pitching matchups — all righties — but will have to navigate lefties Kris Bubic, Julio Urías and Clayton Kershaw over their next two series without two of their top right-handed bats. On the bright side, catcher Joey Bart (back) is doing well and not expected to spend much more than the minimum stay on the IL.
— After naming Alex Cobb the starter for their home opener, the Giants released their pitching plans for the remainder of their home-opening series against the Royals. It will be Cobb vs. RHP Brad Keller on Friday, followed by LHP Sean Manaea vs. RHP Brady Singer on Saturday and RHP Anthony DeSclafani vs. Bubic in the series finale on Sunday. That lines up Logan Webb, Ross Stripling and Wood against the Dodgers, though the club has not finalized those plans.
