SAN FRANCISCO – With a depleted bullpen desperately needing help and the Giants essentially facing a must-win game Thursday at Oracle Park, Logan Webb toed the rubber and erased all his team’s troubles in a 6-0 win against the Atlanta Braves.
Webb was superb in what was tabbed as a pitcher’s duel between him and Braves left-hander Max Fried. When Fried was relieved of his duties with one out in the sixth inning, he already was at 103 pitches, 30 more than Webb had thrown at the time.
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A dominant stretch for Webb in his first All-Star season continued Thursday, finishing his day with 7 ⅔ scoreless innings. Webb gave up just four hits, struck out seven and walked only one batter. His ERA dropped from 3.32 to 3.17 after the win.
Grant McCray (2-for-3) and Casey Schmitt (3-for-4) combined for five of the Giants’ 10 hits, and each went yard in the all-important win.
Here are three takeaways from Logan Webb leading the Giants to snapping a four-game losing streak and avoiding a sweep from the Braves.
Webb The Sweep Stopper
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Robbie Ray’s rough outing in the Giants’ blowout loss the day prior ended after 39 pitches and only two outs recorded. Through three scoreless innings Thursday, Webb was only at 37 pitches and continued to be the horse the Giants always can count on.
The only trouble he ran into was because of a controversial call that wasn’t overturned upon replay. Michael Harris II led off the fourth inning with a single to left field, and Austin Riley then hit a grounder to third baseman Matt Chapman that looked to be a double play. But Chapman’s throw was a bit high to second baseman Casey Schmitt.
Still, it appeared Schmitt made the force out at second base before dropping the ball on the exchange. Umpires and the replay review in New York disagree. How did Webb respond? By striking out Marcell Ozuna, getting Matt Olson to line into an unassisted double play by first baseman Mark Canha and retiring nine straight batters.
Webb has made 26 starts this season and has pitched at least seven innings 14 times now.
McCray Makes It Happen
The exciting jolt of athleticism the Giants envisioned when they called McCray up for his MLB debut Wednesday was on full display one day later. McCray’s first career hit traveled a whopping two feet that he’ll never forget. The speedster dropped the perfect squeeze bunt in front of home plate with the bases loaded to score Jerar Encarnacion, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
McCray in his next at-bat walked on four straight pitches. The threat of his speed alone made Fried check on him twice at first base, but a Tyler Fitzgerald line drive to shortstop ended the bottom of the fourth inning.
Then in the sixth inning, the real fireworks were unleashed with McCray at the plate. McCray took a cutter down the middle and smacked it 404 feet to dead-center field for a solo shot, giving him his second big league hit and first career MLB home run. The McCray family understandably couldn’t contain their excitement.
Schmitt Shows Up
The second go around in San Francisco hasn’t gone smoothly for Schmitt. The infielder entered Thursday batting a lowly .178 with 13 hits and 16 strikeouts in 25 games this season for the Giants. But one at-bat Wednesday night might have sparked something inside of Schmitt.
Schmitt replaced Matt Chapman at third base in the seventh inning of the Giants’ 13-2 loss. The next inning he roped a single to center field and was given the start Thursday at second base. Manager Bob Melvin has to be happy with his decision.
McCray’s homer came two batters after Schmitt turned on a two-strike slider for a two-run homer to give the Giants a four-run lead. It was his fifth deep drive of the year, matching his total from last season in 64 fewer games.
When Schmitt singled the night before, he snapped a streak of going hitless in eight consecutive games he appeared in, going 0-for-20 with five strikeouts in a forgettable stretch of games. Thairo Estrada could soon be back after playing in two rehab games, but three hits – giving him his first three-hit game of the season – and one deep fly had to feel good for Schmitt.
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