MLB Hoosiers (Sept. 6): Giants' Caleb Barager Gets Another Win, Joins League Leaders

Caleb Baragar picked up his second win in two days and his fifth on the season after the Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 on Sunday.

Caleb Baragar is just a rookie with a San Francisco Giants, and the former Indiana Hoosiers pitcher doesn't really have a nickname. He simply goes by Caleb.

Those days, though, locker room humor might spur one. Baragar's teammates just might start calling him "Vulture.''

The rookie left-hander swooped in and got another victory on Sunday when the Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 in San Francisco. It was his second win in two days, and his fifth on the season, which ties him for fourth in the National League along with All-Stars Clayton Kershaw and Sonny Gray. (Chicago's Yu Darvish leads with seven.)

Baragar got the win even though he faced only one batter and threw only six pitches. He got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the sixth, getting John Jay to fly out to left field to end the threat.

The Giants scored twice in the bottom of the inning and then never trailed, so Baragar got the win. 

"Caleb Baragar continues to do a nice job of coming in and throwing strikes and attacking hitters,'' Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. "He did a great job. Obviously, with the bases loaded in that situation with the bases loaded, he did a great job. Johnny (Cueto) just ran out of pitches, so we went to Caleb.''

He's been a pleasant surprise for the Giants this season, who are in full rebuilding mode but are still in the playoff picture after Sunday's win. He was a late add to their 60-man roster when camp resumed after the COVID-19 break, and his making the Opening Day roster was a surprise.

Outside of one rough three-game stretch, he's been very good all year. He's now gone nine straight outings without allowing a run.

The irony of all of those wins is that Baragar has pitched a TOTAL of only 4 2/3 innings in those five outings. For a starting pitcher to earn a win, he must pitch five innings. For the season, he has pitched 16 2/3 innings.

Baragar pitched at Indiana from 2013 to 2016 and is one of six former Hoosiers in the major leagues this season, which is a school record. He's become a very reliable part of the Giants' bullpen.

"It's pretty cool. Me and (Kapler) have a really good relationship. We started bonding after the first win, because it was my first win and it was his first win, too, and we've always been on a good page. 

"It seems like I'm starting to get the feel when he's going to go to me, so I start moving around and thinking about what kind of situation we're going to be in. It always seems to work out.

'Hoosiers in the Pros' on Sunday

• Alex Dickerson, San Francisco Giants: Dickerson came in as a pinch-hitter and stayed in the game. He was 0-for-1 with a walk in the 4-2 win. He's been on a tear lately. in the past eight days, he's had 13 hits, including four homers and four doubles.
• Aaron Slegers, Tampa Bay Rays: Slegers did not pitch in the Rays' 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins. The Rays are now 28-13 and have the best record in the American League.
• Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs: Schwarber went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the Cubs; 7-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. That's the third straight loss to the Cardinals, and now the Cubs are just 1.5 games ahead in the NL Central. 
• Kyle Hart, Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox placed Hart on the 10-day injury list last Wednesday with a left hip impingement. He is eligible to return on Sept. 12.