A day removed from disaster, San Francisco’s bullpen wouldn’t squander its shot at redemption.
The Giants’ relief corps bounced back from their Opening Day meltdown as three relievers combined to throw 3 1/3 scoreless innings to beat the Mariners, 6-3, on Friday at T-Mobile Park.
“It’s a good reminder that you’re going to have some bullpen blowups from time to time,” said manager Gabe Kapler. “It’s important to turn the page and get those guys right back out there.”
Johnny Cueto performed well in his first outing of the season, striking out seven and allowing three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.
The veteran appeared destined for an early exit, allowing one run in the second and two runs in the third, but he found his rhythm as the game went along. In the fourth and sixth innings, Cueto allowed a leadoff walk, but he induced a double play on the next batter to mitigate both threats.
Cueto registered 17 swings-and-misses, including seven from his changeup alone, a great sign as he ranked in the lowest 11th percentile of whiff percentage last season.
Once Cueto departed, the game hung in the balance of San Francisco’s relievers, who just 24 hours prior had suffered an abject implosion. But on Friday night, the bullpen was an entirely different unit, allowing just one runner to reach base while combining for five strikeouts.
Wandy Peralta retired all four batters that he faced with two strikeouts, finishing off the sixth inning after Cueto was pulled, before throwing a perfect seventh.
Tyler Rogers, who allowed an unearned run Thursday, shook off a leadoff walk to pitch a scoreless eighth, with the help of a great defensive play by Donovan Solano.
Finally, Jake McGee, the only reliever who was sharp on Opening Day, shut the door in the ninth, securing San Francisco’s first win of the season.
That collective effort was refreshing after the Giants’ bullpen squandered Kevin Gausman’s brilliant outing in the season’s first game, allowing six runs in the bottom of the eighth and relinquishing a five-run lead.
How San Francisco’s bullpen performs following these two extremely different outings remains to be seen, but Friday was a net positive.
“Peralta was really, really sharp. Threw some great breaking balls, pounded the zone. [Rogers] bounced back really well after that walk and then executed pitches. And McGee was as good as he was last night. It was a really good effort,” catcher Buster Posey said.
While San Francisco’s bullpen needed a game to chip off the rust, the offense kept on chugging along. Along with homers from Posey and Evan Longoria, Solano tacked on three hits, including the go-ahead two-run double in the seventh.
Solano’s double was arguably the most impressive piece of hitting from any Giant. The 2020 Silver Slugger Award winner somehow managed to turn on an inside fastball that was outside the zone and ripped it down the left-field line. Solano’s ability to square up pitches out of the zone has been a hallmark of his time with the Giants, a skill that evaded him at previous destinations.
“I think it’s a gift from God that I was able to put a barrel on that swing,” Solano said. “To be honest with you, I really don’t know how I was able to hit that pitch.”
“I didn’t see an exit velocity on it, but that ball was drilled,” Kapler said. “Obviously, very encouraging to see him go out in the middle of the field, and a big field at that.”
Equally encouraging was Posey’s ability to catch back-to-back full games, of which he said he was “really pleased.”
Posey’s status was up in the air after he caught 10 innings in the opener, but he was inserted into the lineup after a conversation with Kapler.
With Posey behind the dish, Cueto was reunited with his battery mate in a regular-season game for the first time since 2019.
“Buster is a veteran,” Cueto said through an interpreter. “He knows the batters around the league. I get along very well with him. He knows me, I know him.”
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