SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Kyle Harrison entered spring training as the on-paper favorite to win the fifth spot in the San Francisco Giants’ starting rotation. He may very well still be the favorite given he pitched the second-most innings for the Giants last season. His start on Wednesday afternoon, though, didn’t help his case.
A day after right-hander Landen Roupp turned in his latest sharp outing, Harrison allowed five earned runs over 1 2/3 innings as the Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 11-5, at Salt River Fields.
“Obviously, the first inning wasn’t great and it doesn’t feel good, but sometimes, you have those type of days in spring training,” said manager Bob Melvin. “Today was one of those days for a lot of pitchers.”
All of the Diamondbacks’ damage against Harrison was in the first inning, a frame where the left-hander allowed five runs and recorded one out. Harrison’s first inning went as follows: single, double, single, sacrifice fly, walk, home run, triple. Harrison was pulled after allowing the three-bagger to Alek Thomas, but toed the rubber again in the second inning because of spring training’s re-entry rules.
Harrison settled down in the second inning, retiring the side and inducing an inning-ending double play after allowing a one-out single. In the third, Harrison allowed a leadoff double to Josh Naylor and struck out Eugneio Suárez before his afternoon was officially over.
“I just really sat there and (thought), ‘You know what? I’m here. I gotta go back out,’” Harrison said. “J.P. (Martinez) said something funny. He was like, ‘Don’t let us sneak back in this game. Once we got two (runs), I was like, ‘Oh crap, it’s a little more competitive now to go out there and throw strikes.’ Just obviously, tough start.”
Along with the results, Harrison’s velocity trended downwards compared to his first appearance of the spring. In his Cactus League debut against the Milwaukee Brewers, Harrison sat in the 91-92 mph range and occasionally touched 93 mph as he threw two scoreless innings. Against the Diamondbacks, Harrison’s average four-seam fastball clocked in at 91.2 mph. Last season, for comparison, Harrison’s average four-seam fastball velocity was 92.5 mph.
Over at Papago Park, Hayden Birdsong, also in contention for the fifth spot in the rotation, allowed two earned runs over 2 1/3 innings with three strikeouts against minor-league competition. Including his Cactus League appearances, Birdsong has allowed three earned runs over 6 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts.
Among those competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, none of the candidates have enjoyed a better spring than Roupp. Over three starts, Roupp has tossed 8 1/3 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts to one walk. Still, with two-and-a-half weeks left of Cactus League, Melvin isn’t swaying one way or another when it comes to rounding out his rotation.
“We’re still early,” Melvin said. “One outing isn’t going to affect it too much. We’ll see where it goes. (Harrison) has more work to do.”
Worth noting
- Left-hander Erik Miller is scheduled to pitch on Friday versus the Cincinnati Reds after missing time due to illness. He has yet to appear in a Cactus League game this spring.
- Along with Birdsong, Opening Day starter Logan Webb threw 3 1/3 innings at Papago Park, allowing one run (zero earned runs) with no walks and six strikeouts.
- Willy Adames hit his first homer of the spring, a towering 417-foot, 105.3-mph blast that cleared the center-field fences. After going 2-for-4 with a homer and 3 RBIs, Adames is now hitting .412/.474/1.062 in Cactus League play. That doesn’t include the homers he’s hit off Sean Hjelle, Logan Webb (twice) and Justin Verlander in live bullpens and simulated games.