Take a moment to flush Wednesday afternoon’s result from your memory. The ugly loss to the Phillies kept the Giants from earning their second sweep of 2024, but it shouldn’t overshadow all the good the team has done in the last two weeks. That’s four straight series wins for your red hot San Francisco Giants, who just took two of three from the best team in baseball. In one of the toughest stretches of the Giants’ 2024 schedule, the team is playing its best baseball thus far. Four takeaways from an encouraging three game set with the Phillies.
Zack Wheeler vs the Giants’ bullpen
Advantage… Giants bullpen? By a hair. Wheeler and the stable of Giants relievers went toe to toe on Tuesday night in a scoreless battle that ended with the game’s only run coming across in the home half of the 10th inning. Vegas understandably had the orange and black as big underdogs given the circumstances on the bump. The SF pen took the perceived slight personally, patching together 10 scoreless innings against one of baseball’s most potent lineups. Erik Miller, Taylor Rogers, Spencer Howard, Tyler Rogers, and finally Sean Hjelle combined to spin the group gem that gave the Giants a series clinching 1-0 win.
More specifically…
One of the most pleasant and biggest surprises of this Giants’ campaign has been the emergence of Sean Hjelle as an elite leverage reliever. The most emphatic example of this ascent came on Tuesday night, when Hjelle logged two scoreless innings in the 9th and 10th frames. The 10th of course, began with the tiebreaking runner on second. Hjelle still managed to escape, letting out a victorious cry as he exited the mound. His clutch effort netted him the win, and further respect in the clubhouse and throughout a fan base that began the season rightfully doubtful of the towering right-hander. Expect Melvin to continue to tab Hjelle with meaningful innings.
On the defense of Marco Luciano
Luciano stacked costly errors on the Giants’ rollercoaster road trip to Pittsburgh and New York. The highly touted prospect has put together some promising at bats, but the glaring defensive mistakes have made him a prime candidate to be on the chopping block when the Giants’ injured list becomes a bit less crowded in the coming days. His most recent miscue won’t show up as an error, but it certainly could have cost the Giants. He fielded a seemingly routine ground ball off the bat of Bryson Stott, but his nonchalant shuffle before an average throw across the diamond allowed the speedy Stott to beat it out. Luciano left the game after that half inning, with what the Giants are calling a tight right hamstring.
Kyle Harrison won’t be bullied
On paper, Wednesday won’t be a very memorable outing for Kyle Harrison. He was average at best, allowing four runs and 12 hits in five innings of work. But the outing did represent a maturation point for the young left hander. He showed the Phillies, and the rest of the league, that he isn’t afraid of even the most grand figures in the sport. A high and tight fastball had Bryce Harper upset with Harrison, barking his displeasure toward the mound. Harrison glared back, and then went right back inside, nearly hitting Harper with a similarly placed fastball. Harper and the Phillies took further exception, and he exchanged words with Harrison who responded in a similar manner before both benches emptied. There was no brawl, but a statement had been made by the Giants’ rookie.