Alex Cobb, Casey Schmitt lead SF Giants to 6-2 victory over Diamondbacks
The SF Giants defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-2 on Thursday, winning the first of a four-game series on the backs of veteran starter Alex Cobb and rookie Casey Schmitt (Giants #3 prospect). While the Giants remain in fourth place in the National League West, they improved to 17-20 on the season.
SF Giants SP Alex Cobb throws a pitch against the Dbacks on May 11, 2023.
Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Cobb continued looking like the most underrated pitcher in MLB, turning in another impressive outing. Cobb did not have his best stuff on Thursday and was clearly frustrated with his ability to locate his pitches late in his outing. Even though he only induced five swinging strikes and recorded three strikeouts, Cobb completed 7.1 shutout innings.
The Diamondbacks missed several excellent scoring opportunities throughout the night against Cobb. In the second inning, the Dbacks had runners on first and third with one out before catcher Gabriel Moreno grounded into a double play. Cobb also allowed two runners to reach base in the sixth and seventh innings, but Arizona was unable to record a hit with runners in scoring position.
With Cobb on the mound, the Giants got all the offense they would need in the top of the second inning off Schmitt's bat. Schmitt sat on a hanging 2-0 curveball from Diamondbacks starting pitcher Tommy Henry and crushed it more than 440 feet to left field. Schmitt was far from done at the plate. He finished the day 4-4 with two runs scored, a double, a home run, and three runs batted in. He has tied Willie McCovey for the most hits by a Giants player in their first three games (8). He's also the first shortstop in MLB history with multiple hits and an extra-base hits in each of their first three career MLB games.
Tyler Rogers replaced Cobb with a runner on first and one out in the eighth inning and induced an inning-ending double play from Ketel Marte.
The Giants added four more insurance runs in the top of the ninth thanks to three hits, a walk, and an error. Schmitt benefitted from a peculiar defensive alignment by the Dbacks, having their corner infielders play in on the grass. He bounced what easily could have been a rally-killing double play to third base, but it bounced over Josh Rojas' head for an RBI double.
With a 6-0 lead, Giants manager Gabe Kapler turned to Cole Waites (Giants #26 prospect) in the ninth inning. Waites struggled to throw strikes throughout his entire outing and walked the first two batters he faced. A no-no in almost any situation, especially with a six-run lead. Waites was bailed out of walking the bases loaded by a favorable called strike and a 3-2 chase from Lourdes Gurriel, but he still was removed from the game after allowing two runs to score on an RBI single.
Not wanting to take any chances, Kapler turned to closer Camilo Doval. Doval struck out both batters he faced to secure the victory.
The Giants will look to get another winning streak started on Friday night. They have not announced a starter for the game, although it seems likely that lefty Alex Wood will come off the injured list to make the start. Whoever toes the rubber for the SF Giants they are scheduled to face off against Diamondbacks righty Ryne Nelson.
