Series preview: SF Giants @ Tigers, picks, probable pitchers, how to watch

After a demoralizing opening homestead, can the SF Giants beat up on the struggling Tigers?

The SF Giants should probably win a series.

Hot take, I know. But the frustration is mounting in San Francisco, as it should be. It's too early for whatever struggles the Giants are facing to shape their season; it's not even halfway through April, after all. But through four series, the Giants have been given a challenge and not acquitted themselves well. They've had two tough draws (NYY, LA) and two winnable series (CHW, KC). The result? They've dropped three series in spectacular fashion, and picked up one in equally spectacular fashion. And while more spectacle is a generally a good thing, it's going to be a long season if the Giants don't find a way to get on the right end of the spectacle more often than not.

Which makes this series against Detroit so worryingly important. The Giants head to Detroit to take on the 3-9 Tigers, and they need a series win in a big way. San Francisco has so far been sabotaged by a series of critical but perhaps fixable mistakes, which has led to a 5-7 record and a fourth-place position in the NL West. The seemingly amplified magnitude of their mistakes leads to some hope that natural corrections can bring them back into a stronger contending role... which was also the feeling in 2020 and 2022. After such volatile performances in the last few seasons, the Giants have to be better this year. That starts with winning series against beatable opponents. Let's take a look at three places the Giants must improve before they can start racking up the wins.

1. Stop the hemorrhaging in the bullpen

The Giants have a pitching staff comprised of some of the most solid names in baseball, yet they haven't been able to avoid the big inning. That's not everyone's fault, but there have been some big culprits. Taylor Rogers, a much anticipated high-leverage setup man, has bombed his early season debut, giving up 7 ER in just 3.1 IP. Ross Stripling, meanwhile, has sunk the long relief position with 10 ER in 10.0 IP. Making matters worse, Sean Hjelle has floundered in the same role, giving up 6 ER in 6.0 IP. These guys aren't the only offenders, and they probably won't continue to give up runs at such a torrid pace. But right now, Gabe Kapler seems to be slotting his players into the roles he wants them to excel at, and not the roles that might help them regain their confidence (spot starts, low-leverage innings, etc.). At some point, the Giants will need to manage to win games, not to keep trying to polish guys up. 

SF Giants reliever Taylor Rogers throws a pitch during a troubling homestead against the LA Dodgers / © D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

2. Stability at the catcher position

The Giants have already used four catchers in their first twelve games. Now that Joey Bart's back from a brief IL stint, they'll need to turn a catching carousel into a good old-fashioned (new-fashioned?) platoon situation. That might be easier said than done, though, with Roberto Pérez out for the season after shoulder surgery. Ex-Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez is waiting in the wings in the minors, but they can't send down Blake Sabol, as doing so would return him to the Pirates due to the conditions of the Rule 5 draft. In a perfect world, Bart starts raking and Sabol proves that he can hang in there as both a promising left-handed hitter and an adequate defenseman behind the plate. Given how badly the Giants need stability in their lineup, this will be an extremely tough tightrope to walk.

3. Dominance in the rotation

Last but not least, Logan Webb needs to reestablish himself as the ace at the top of the Giants' rotation. His stuff is better than ever, but the results haven't followed. Until they do, the Giants won't have the luxury of going into Webb's starts feeling that they have a strong chance of winning each of those games. And that truly is the first domino in correcting San Francisco's various pitching maladies. Once Webb becomes The Guy again, the needs from the rest of the rotation will become clearer. When that happens, the best starters will emerge and take their place, long relief will have more prototypical demands, and the back end of the bullpen can be managed to maximize each player. Of all the dilemmas the Giants face, this one is the easiest - get Webb back to the guy we all know he can be, and let everything else fall into place.

Expectations are high for SF Giants ace Logan Webb / © D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

Series Prediction:

Giants sweep the series, 3-0. After a couple of series' worth of pessimism, I'm going all the way to the best-case scenario here. It doesn't mean anything that the Tigers are 3-9; in fact, any long-suffering Giants fan knows that's the perfect time to prove that "any given Sunday" applies to baseball, too, and drop the series. But I'm casting a vote for optimism. Sean Manaea has flashed fantastic stuff, DeSclafani's been a stud, and I'm betting that Webb can bounce back against an underwhelming Tigers squad. Home runs start flying, the Giants win a pair of easy games, and find enough in themselves to wrap up a perfect series.

Series Details:

Who: SF Giants at Detroit Tigers
Where: Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
When: Fri. 4/14 - Sun. 4/16

Projected starters: Sean Manaea* vs. Joey Wentz* (4/14), Anthony DeSclafani vs. TBD (4/15), Logan Webb vs. Matthew Boyd* (4/16)
*Indicates LHP

How to watch:

• Giants broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area (except 4/14), KNBR 680/1510 AM
• Tigers broadcast: Bally Sports Detroit (except 4/14), 97.1 FM
• National broadcasts: Apple TV+ (4/14), MLB Network (4/16)