SAN DIEGO — Taking the mound Thursday afternoon for his third career Opening Day start, Logan Webb could look behind him and see a new center fielder, Jung Hoo Lee. He could shift focus and see Nick Ahmed at shortstop, turn his head slightly and there was Matt Chapman at third base next to him.
Straight ahead, Bob Melvin looked on from his new perch on the top step of the third-base dugout.
And yet, in a 6-3 loss to the Padres, it sure felt like more of the same from last year for Webb.
The Giants’ ace was lights-out, putting whatever ailed him this spring in the rearview mirror while retiring the Padres in order their first time through the lineup.
After posting a 10.97 ERA in six Cactus League starts, Webb limited San Diego to two runs over six innings but left the game trailing 2-1 and didn’t factor into the decision, an eerily similar feeling for the pitcher who received the least run support in the majors last season.
San Francisco rallied to take the lead in the top of the seventh, but it all fell apart with Webb out of the game.
“Spring training’s tough because there’s not a whole lot of adrenaline … It was nice today to get out there and get the adrenaline going. I don’t think I thought about my mechanics one time,” Webb said. “Even after I came out there were a lot of broken-bat base hits, not a lot of balls hit hard. That’s baseball, though. Sometimes baseball is cruel like that.”
Luke Jackson relieved Webb to start the bottom half of the inning but left injured after putting all three men he faced on base and allowing the tying run to score in what would turn into a four-run San Diego rally. It all started on an errant throw from Patrick Bailey that bounced past Nick Ahmed when the Padres had runners at the corners with nobody out and Tyler Wade bolted for second base, allowing Luis Campusano to score from third.
Jackson said after the game that he was experiencing back spasms and that would undergo an MRI but was hopeful he could avoid the injured list. He dealt with a similar issue last year, but this time it felt less serious, Jackson said. It didn’t affect him until his final two pitches.
“Webby pitched his ass off. I wish we could’ve gotten him the W,” Jackson said. “I felt great the whole outing and then, I think it was a fastball to (Jackson) Merrill, something happened. I tried to throw another pitch because it didn’t feel as bad as last year and had no idea where it was going. Other than that I felt fantastic. Nothing lingering from last year. Just one of those outings where I wish we could’ve gotten Webby the W.”
Anchored by Lee and Jorge Soler in the first two spots and Chapman in the cleanup hole, the Giants’ new-look lineup produced four runs on nine hits. But it was their least-heralded newcomer, Nick Ahmed, who provided the majority of the offense, driving home one run with a double past the third base bag in the third inning and another with a timely single into left field in the Giants’ two-run seventh.
Michael Conforto, the Giants’ 18th different Opening Day left fielder since Barry Bonds, contributed three hits, including a ninth-inning solo shot to right center that cut the deficit to two runs. He also doubled for the first hit of the game from either team in the third inning, scoring on Ahmed’s double, and singled and scored another run as the Giants rallied to take a 3-2 lead in the seventh.
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By the end of his first major-league game, Lee had recorded his first hit — a line drive single into center field — and driven in his first run, a sacrifice fly that allowed Conforto to race home from third. But immediately after reaching base in the fifth inning, Lee was picked off first by Padres starter Yu Darvish for the third out.
The RBI double from Ahmed in the third inning amounted to the only offense from either team until the Padres rallied for two runs against Webb in the fifth.
Getting Xander Bogaerts to chase a slider for strike three to start the bottom of the first, Webb rung up four of the first nine Padres he faced and didn’t allow a runner to reach base his first time through the order. Bogaerts singled to lead off the fourth but was immediately erased when Webb coaxed a 4-6-3 double play ball off the bat of Fernando Tatis Jr. He didn’t run into trouble until issuing a leadoff walk to Manny Machado to begin the fifth inning, requiring 45 pitches to complete his final two innings.
The Giants (0-1) and Padres (2-1) continue their series Friday with Kyle Harrison and Joe Musgrove on the mound.