What the Giants Opening Day Loss Told Us — And What It Didn’t

The San Francisco Giants took one on the chin against the New York Yankees on opening night. Here’s what that loss told us — and what it didn’t.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

As opening days go, it was not ideal for the San Francisco Giants. Not at all.

The Giants fell to the New York Yankees, 7-0, at Oracle Park on Wednesday evening. The Giants (0-1) managed just three hits off Yankees pitching, led by left-handed starter Max Fried (1-0).

Meanwhile, Giants starter Logan Webb (0-1), one of baseball's most reliable aces, had an off night. He gave up nine hits and seven runs, six of which were earned in five innings.

So, what did the game tell us about the Giants, and what didn't it tell us about the Giants? Here are some thoughts.

What it Told Us

San Francisco Giants designated hitter Rafael Devers. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Expect an Uphill Start

San Francisco's schedule looked daunting on paper, and it appears as if that will be the case. The next few weeks will pit San Francisco against San Diego, the New York Mets, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Cincinnati. In three weeks of baseball the Giants will face four teams that went to the playoffs last year and another in the Orioles that is good enough to make the playoffs this year.

Logan Webb will Bounce Back

The right-hander’s line was forgettable. He did strike out seven and walked just one hitter. But when a team’s best pitcher gives up nine hits, even against a lineup as potent as the Yankees, it gives one pause.

The last time he gave up at least six runs in a start was on Sept. 13, when he gave up 10 hits, six earned runs and two walks in a loss. He only went four innings. In his next start he went seven innings and gave up four hits, two runs (one earned) and one walk. Both games were against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

What it Didn’t’ Tell Us

San Francisco Giants pitcher Ryan Walker. | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Is the Bullpen High-Leverage Ready?

The Giants never got a chance to throw its bullpen into the fire properly after Webb gave up five runs in the second inning. Now, Keaton Winn, J.T. Brubaker and Caleb Kilian did combine for four scoreless innings. They combined to allow one hit and two walks while they struck out five.

But with a seven-run deficit, nothing was at stake. San Francisco will have to wait another day to see if the bullpen configuration they chose will pay early dividends in high leverage situations.

What About the Offense?

It's not fair to judge a team's lineup on one game, especially against a Cy Young level pitcher like Fried and at a time like opening day. But the only Giants with hits were Luis Arraez, Rafael Devers and Heliot Ramos. If there's any good news, the lineup combined for just six strikeouts. But it also just two walks.

San Francisco won't stray much from Wednesday's lineup. The Giants will make little tweaks here and there based on matchups, but that's the lineup barring injury. San Francisco will look for a bounce back on Friday and more signs that the batting order it’s configured is more durable than Wednesday's results suggest.