Southpaw Kyle Harrison will look to redeem his sole career loss as he and the San Francisco Giants face off against the home team San Diego Padres on Friday night.
Following a pitchers’ duel between top pitchers Logan Webb and Yu Darvish that lasted over five innings on Thursday, the Padres took advantage of San Francisco’s bullpen in the seventh inning, scoring four runs to secure a 6-4 victory in the home opener at San Diego.
Leading the charge for the Padres was Jake Cronenworth, delivering a two-run double in the seventh to extend their lead to 6-3.
Harrison is set to start a day after Webb limited the Padres to two runs and five hits over six innings. Making his major league debut last August, the 22-year-old Harrison made seven starts for San Francisco, posting a 1-1 record with a 4.15 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings.
His lone defeat came against San Diego on Sept. 2, where he gave up six runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings during a 6-1 loss.
In his only encounter with San Diego, Juan Soto, Xander Bogaerts, Gary Sanchez, and Garrett Cooper all homered off Harrison. Despite this, he only conceded four homers in his other six starts, finishing the season with five no-hit innings in a no-decision against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Giants hit the only home run in Thursday’s game, but it was late in the ninth inning with two outs and no one on base. Michael Conforto, who had previously singled and doubled, hit a home run off Padres closer Robert Suarez.
Shortstop Nick Ahmed had an impressive start for the Giants, recording a single, a double, and two RBIs. Additionally, newcomer Jung Hoo Lee got his first major league hit in the fifth inning and his first RBI with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Although disappointed by the loss in his Giants debut, manager Bob Melvin praised Lee’s performance.
“(He) hit a crucial sac fly to give us the lead against a challenging left-handed pitcher,” Melvin remarked. “For his first game, (he) provided us with the lead after the top of the seventh. It was a productive start.”
Lee and the Giants aim for a better outcome against San Diego’s Joe Musgrove (0-0, 16.88 ERA). The seasoned right-hander will make his second start of the season after a rough outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers, conceding five runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings in the Padres‘ 15-11 win last week in Seoul, South Korea.
With a 10-3 record and a 3.05 ERA last season, Musgrove has a 4-3 record with a 3.86 ERA in 13 career starts against San Francisco.
Despite his rocky start following a challenging spring (13.50 ERA), the 31-year-old Musgrove remains confident.
“I’ve always been someone who refines my skills and sharpens up as games progress, as the season advances,” Musgrove stated. “The more game time I get, the better adjustments I make throughout the games.”
—Field Level Media
Source : deadspin.com