SAN FRANCISCO -- Logan Webb can no longer try and talk Gabe Kapler into letting him pinch-hit, but that doesn't mean his days of asking the coaching staff for more are over.
All Giants starters have been on pitch counts early in the season because of the shortened spring, and Webb was set for 90-95 pitches on Wednesday in his second outing of the season. Before the game, he told pitching coach Andrew Bailey to let him go out for the eighth if he was cruising, and the Giants did.
After Webb sailed through that inning at 96 total pitches, Kapler and Bailey pulled the plug. Webb understood, but he still leaned in and delivered a message for his pitching coach.
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"This will never happen again this year," Webb joked. "I will not go out of this game."
Webb had more than enough left in the tank to try for his first complete game, but the staff wants to be careful early in the year.
The ball was handed to Camilo Doval, who loaded the bases before closing out a 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres that clinched a second straight series win.
Webb picked up his first win of the year and also set a career-high by getting through the eighth. As he walked off the mound, he stood as the only starting pitcher in MLB to record an out in the eighth this season, and Kapler delivered some good news after the game. The restrictions are coming off for Webb's next start in New York, so it's back to normal for the rest of the year.
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On Wednesday, it was more of what has become "normal" for Webb. He allowed just four hits and one run, striking out seven. In two starts, Webb has allowed just two runs and walked one batter.
Webb said a complete game isn't necessarily a goal, but it would still represent a big step for the new staff ace. In 2020, Webb talked often of just trying to consistently get into the sixth inning. That year he had just one start over 5 1/3 innings. Webb started consistently getting deep into games last August, and in Game 1 of the NLDS he set a career-high with 7 2/3 innings pitched.
That was eclipsed Wednesday, when he threw 72 of his 96 pitches for strikes. Kapler said that ability is what is allowing Webb to get deeper and deeper.
"The most notable factor there is the trust that we have in the strike-throwing ability," Kapler said. "I think there was a time when, when he began to tire just a little bit, the first thing we started to get concerned about was is he going to be able to deliver strikes. It wasn't is he still going to be nasty -- we knew the sinker would still have the good horizontal movement on it, the changeup would have the good depth, the slider would still be sharp.
"But we were kind of concerned about how he would be able to attack the strike zone. The biggest change is that now we feel like there's going to be a ton of strikes and a lot of command of his pitches."
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Kapler said he was "very tempted" to send Webb out for the ninth, but he stayed disciplined. With the way Webb is throwing, it shouldn't be long before he gets a shot at recording the 27th out for the first time.
"It's not necessarily a goal (but) it would be really cool to do that," Webb said. "I think if you give your team six, seven, every time, that's the goal. That's what I've learned from watching and being around veteran guys. That's the main thing, (go) six or seven and you're going to have a couple where you possibly go eight, possibly nine. Today I was able to go eight, so that was cool."