HOUSTON — Logan Webb is a different pitcher now than he was last year. He’s tweaked his mechanics. He’s upped his cutter usage. He’s altered his changeup.
But at his core, he remains the Giants’ ace of staff.
Webb turned in the first of many quality starts as the Giants (4-1) beat the Houston Astros (2-3) on Tuesday night at Daikin Park, 3-1, allowing one earned run over seven innings with six strikeouts, the only blip on his line being a solo home run.
“The more you throw in this game, the more you have to adapt,” Webb said. “I wish I had a pitch that I could just throw by people, but I have to try and do some other things. I feel good mixing it up. I think that’s the goal. I’m going to keep doing it.”
As far as mixing it up, Webb continued employing a five-pitch mix after doing so in Cincinnati, relying primarily on his sinker (43 pitches) and sweeper (24) while mixing.in changeups (14) four-seam fastballs (seven) and cutters (12), the last being a pitch which continues to be an emphasis. Webb struck out Yordan Alvarez in the first inning with a cutter,
“It’s just a different look for me,” Webb said.
What isn’t different is Webb’s identity as a groundball pitcher. Webb induced three double players, none of which were bigger than the one in the sixth inning. Following Chas McCormick’s one-out single, Webb got Jose Altuve to hit into an inning-ending, 5-4-3 double play, letting out a roar of emotion and slamming his right hand into his glove. It was a satisfying slice of vengeance for Webb, who allowed a solo homer to Altuve in the fourth.
To get through seven innings, Webb was tasked with facing the heart of Houston’s order for the third time. Webb allowed the tying run on base as Isaac Paredes hit a leadoff single, but Webb proceeded to strike out Alvarez and Christian Walker, then get Yainer Diaz to hit an inning-ending ground out.
“Guys like him, they’re smelling the finish line,” Melvin said. “He knows that’s probably going to be it for him as far as seven innings go, which nowadays is kind of a miracle. He knows where he is and he knows how to finish games and he knows he has a groundball anytime he needs one. A couple times today, he needed a groundball and got some double plays. Very aware of the situation and knew he was probably coming out pretty quick. Seven innings, we’ll take it.”
Following Webb’s departure, Tyler Rogers wiggled out of a critical situation of his own. With two outs in the eighth, Rogers gave up back-to-back two-out singles that set the stage for Altuve, who’s more than capable of changing the complexion of a game with one swing. Daikin Park roared in anticipation of another big hit from Altuve, but Rogers induced an inning-ending pop out and escaped without allowing a run.
The person to catch that pop up was Casey Schmitt, who played first base for the first time in about six years after pinch-hitting for LaMonte Wade Jr. With Jerar Encarnacion out for roughly two months after undergoing surgery last Friday, Schmitt will start at first base against left-handed pitching. That includes tomorrow, when Houston sends lefty Framber Valdez to the mound.
“I’ve been taking ground balls during (batting practice), working on the picks, thinking about where to go in situations and stuff like that,” Schmitt said.
Schmitt wasn’t the only one experiencing something new on Tuesday as Christian Koss, a surprise addition to the Opening Day roster, made his major-league debut. Koss contributed to the win on both sides of the ball, helping turn all three double plays and scoring on Willy Adames’ two-run double after drawing a walk.
“You dream about this growing up,” Koss said. “It’s kind of been waiting to set in and I finally got in there today.”
Worth noting
- Heliot Ramos hit his third home run of the year, battling back from an 0-2 count to pull a 108.3 mph line drive into the Crawford Boxes. With the homer, Ramos became the third Giants player to begin a season with an extra-base hit in five straight games, joining Willie Mays (1971) and Felipe Alou (1963).
Originally Published:
Source: Paradise Post
