SF Giants bullpen wastes Sean Manaea's gem in 6-5 loss to Royals

Sean Manaea looked like a new pitcher in his first career start with the SF Giants, but an implosion by Ross Stripling led to a 6-5 loss.

The SF Giants fell to 3-5 on the season Saturday, losing to the Kansas City Royals 6-5. Giants starting pitcher Sean Manaea, who made his first start with San Francisco, and catcher Blake Sabol became the first Samoan battery in MLB history. Manaea capped off the historic day with an exquisite outing, but it was not enough.

Manaea came into the spring with improved velocity, but had struggled to utilize that extra oompf to limit runs throughout the spring and in his first appearance of the season. While he was flashing elite potential, Manaea had not yet delivered top-level performance until Saturday afternoon.

"Sean was awesome," Sabol said after the game. "I thought the big pitch today for him was his changeup," Sabol added. "He was able to throw it to both lefties and righties and that really opened everything up for him."

Manaea's sinker averaged 94.2 mph on Friday afternoon, a 3.0 mph increase over last season. That extra bit of velocity carried over to his off-speed pitches as well. While the spin and movement profiles of Manaea's slider and changeup were fairly comparable to last season, they were both notably faster. In a split-second artform like hitting, that small change could be the difference between the southpaw's mediocre 2022 and a potential breakout in 2023.

As the Royals tried to figure out Manaea, the Giants offense struggled to generate a rally against Kansas City's starter Brady Singer. Unlike Manaea, though, Singer was rarely able to get Giants hitters off balance. In fact, the former first-round pick recorded just one swing-and-miss through his first three innings pitched. Multiple Giants squared up Singer for warning track flyouts, but no one reached base the first time through the order.

In the top of the fourth, Royals right fielder MJ Melendez sat on a first-pitch sinker from Manaea and came inches away from a solo home run. Melendez's fly ball bounced off the top of the left-center field wall in Oracle Park, just left of a 399' marker, and bounced back onto the field. While a replay review seemed to show the ball coming very close to bouncing off a concessions worker, which would have made it a home run, the original call on the field stood.

Following the review, Manaea hit Salvador Pérez on the foot but induced a 5-4-3 double play from Franmil Reyes. After inducing a groundout from Vinnie Pasquantino, Manaea escaped the inning unscathed.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Giants finally began turning their contact into runs. First baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. crushed an 0-1 slider 394' feet (111.5 mph exit velocity), well over the right-field wall into McCovey Cove for his first home run of the season. He finished the day 2-for-4.

Wade has been putting together impressive plate appearances thus far this season, entering play on Saturday with an on-base percentage of nearly .500. If he can rekindle the power he showcased during the 2021 campaign, Wade could be a force at the top of the lineup.

Wade to the water 💧 pic.twitter.com/0XLZjHACh4

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) April 8, 2023

Following Wade's blast, right fielder Michael Conforto and third baseman J.D. Davis got another rally started with a single and double. Designated hitter Joc Pederson drove in Conforto with a sacrifice fly and Davis scored on an RBI single by second baseman Thairo Estrada. Estrada advanced to second base on the throw home and came around to score on an RBI single by shortstop Brandon Crawford.

What a slide by Davis to avoid the tag 👏 pic.twitter.com/riOECIlyk5

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 8, 2023

Just like that, the Giants were ahead 4-0.

Young Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. ended Manaea's shutout in the sixth inning with a solo home run off a hanging 83 mph changeup down the middle of the plate. But, the southpaw remained effective.

Manaea's sinker never reached 95 mph after the third inning. However, he leaned more heavily on his changeup and slider the second and third times through the order and was able to hold his velocity between 92-94 mph, still a notable improvement over last season. He finished the day with eight strikeouts over six innings of work, surrendering one run on three hits and a walk.

The Giants added another run off Singer in the sixth inning. Estrada doubled down the left-field line and scored on another two-out RBI single from Crawford.

Ross Stripling replaced Manaea at the start of the seventh inning and continued struggling to keep the ball in the field of play. Reyes led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run, cutting the Royals deficit to three. The former Dodgers and Blue Jays pitcher rebounded, though, retiring the next five hitters he faced.

With two outs in the top of the eighth, Stripling allowed back-to-back singles to Melendez and Edward Olivares. With Pérez representing the tying run at the plate, manager Gabe Kapler kept reliever John Brebbia in the bullpen, and Pérez hit a game-tying three-run homer. Stripling has now surrendered five home runs in 6.2 innings pitched this season.

All knotted up!#WelcomeToTheCity pic.twitter.com/ow67cCV9nu

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) April 8, 2023

Kapler removed Stripling following the homer and Brebbia finished the inning. But the damage was done.

The Giants looked ready to answer immediately against Royals reliever Taylor Clarke. Clarke allowed three straight singles to start the bottom half of the eighth, which loaded the bases with nobody out for Estrada, Crawford, and Sabol. Then, the 29-year-old righty struck out all three to prevent the Giants from taking the lead.

Kapler turned to closer Camilo Doval in a non-save situation for the second consecutive day. Pasquantino led off the inning with a double, and while Doval retired the next three hitters he faced, a wild pitch allowed Pasquantino to score, giving Kansas City a 6-5 lead.

Royals closer Aroldis Chapman quelled any hopes of a Giants comeback, retiring the side in order.

Looking ahead, Kapler was asked postgame if Stripling would start the next turn through the rotation, or if Manaea would get the nod after his gem. While the Giants manager was noncomittal, he hinted toward the lefty receiving the start.

"I think he's earned the opportunity for us to discuss starting again the next time through," Kapler said. "We'll keep talking about it."

Hoping to avoid a sweep in their first home series of the season, the SF Giants will give right-hander Anthony DeSclafani his second start of the year on Sunday. He will go up against Royals lefty Kris Bubic. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 PM Pacific.