San Francisco Giants Starting Rotation Proving to be Difference Maker

The San Francisco Giants were able to wrap up a sweep of the Houston Astros, proving that this team might be pretty good. 

Coming into the year, it was hard to predict what type of team the Giants were going to be. This winter, the team lost a couple of notable players. But at the same time, they made two significant splashes. 

While the sample size is small at just six games, San Francisco sits with a 5-1 record after winning a road series against the Cincinnati Reds, and then sweeping the Astros. 

Wins on the road are never easy to come by, and this is a near perfect start to the campaign for the Giants. 

While the lineup hasn’t found its groove yet, the starting pitching for San Francisco has been excellent. 

Coming into the season, the rotation figured to be the part of the team that could make the Giants a contender. So far, that is exactly what seems to be happening. 

Ace Logan Webb has made two starts so far and is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA. Free agent signing Justin Verlander looked good in his debut with the team, allowing just two runs over five innings of work. 

Fellow veteran Robbie Ray, who could be one of the X-factors for the team this campaign, earned his first win of the year after allowing three runs in 5.1 innings pitched. 

Arguably the most impressive start came from young right-hander Jordan Hicks. The talented starter went six innings, allowing no runs and just one hit in an excellent performance. 

Furthermore, the only starter who got roughed up a little bit was Landon Roupp, who allowed three runs in four innings. 

Overall, San Francisco has to be extremely pleased with the performances of their rotation after six games. 

Now, sustaining this success will be the next step for the franchise, but the potential is clearly there to be very good. 

While it is an encouraging sign to see them performing so well, the National West is living up to the hype. Even with a 5-1 record, the Giants find themselves in third place behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. 

San Francisco will have to wait a long time before they see a divisional opponent, with their first series against an NL West team coming at the end of the month. 

This means that until then, it is a critical time to do what they can against the rest of the league. The team knows that division games won’t be easy. 

Furthermore, while the sample size is small, the franchise must be optimistic about the starting rotation early on.