Logan Webb got roughed up on Wednesday afternoon against the Chicago White Sox. He allowed four earned runs over five innings as the Giants struggled to keep up two days after scoring 12 runs.
After a not quite stellar start to begin the season against the New York Yankees (allowing four earned runs over six innings) it’s become a slightly worrisome opening to the campaign for the 26-year-old Giants ace.
In 32 starts last season, Webb allowed four earned runs or more just five times.
Affeldt was asked whether Webb’s typically quick approach has been less effective because hitters are getting accustomed to the pitch clock.
While he acknowledged that could be a factor, he thinks hitters and scouts could simply be more familiar with Webb, and it’s on him to adjust his approach to get hitters off balance.
Guys start seeing you over and over again, scouts start scouting you over and over again for five years. You’re not throwing anything they haven’t seen or they don’t know about yet. So there’s game plans that develop.
You’re going to get to that mark, that fifth-, six-year mark where it’s almost like, ‘Hold on, if I’m going to start with this repertoire, maybe I’ve got to pitch differently. Maybe I can’t start guys off the same way. Maybe I need to start adding and subtracting with my sinker, throw a BP sinker up there and throw one up at like 83 and then come back with 92.’
Whatever I’ve got to do; I might need to add and subtract. That’s how the good pitchers last. They either come up with another pitch, or they come up with a different way of throwing against hitters, especially when they’ve been in the league for — I mean look at [Zack] Greinke and these guys. They’ve been changing it up forever. But they’re 17 years in now because of it.
A guy like Webb has great stuff, he just might have to be like, ‘Now I might have to change my approach on how I use my pitches, not necessarily change my pitch repertoire.’
It’s an interesting thought on a player the Giants need to be elite or close to it. Webb is the lynchpin of the rotation and will have months to overcome these early struggles.
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