HOUSTON -- Landen Roupp flew to Cincinnati last Wednesday with the rest of the Giants and then immediately hopped on a commercial flight after taking part in the usual Opening Day festivities. He headed back to Scottsdale, where he had been just a few days earlier, to face the Double-A team in a camp game meant to keep him sharp and stretched out as a starter. Then it was off to Houston, where Roupp waited for the team to arrive.
As the Giants finished off a series win against the Reds, Roupp found himself with a conundrum. He wanted to throw, but the rest of the team wasn't in town yet and Daikin Park wasn't available because the Astros were hosting the New York Mets. Roupp called pitching coach J.P. Martinez, who found a creative solution.
Martinez briefly overlapped with Tyler Beede in San Francisco and knew he had a spectacular gym and pitching facility built at his home in Houston. The two right-handed pitchers were put in touch, and on Sunday, Roupp went over to Beede's house to play long toss and keep his arm fresh.
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It was a whirlwind stretch for the fifth starter. After the Giants beat the Astros 6-3 on Wednesday to clinch a series sweep and a 5-1 trip, Roupp smiled and wondered how many time zones he had crossed. There was no confusion, however, about the end result of a long week for Roupp and the Giants.
"If you don't know by now, we're pretty good," Roupp said. "And we're going to be good."
The Giants have plenty of reasons to feel optimistic as they head back to the Pacific Time Zone. Their starting pitching has been strong, and while Roupp wobbled in the fifth inning and paid dearly for a pop-up that he failed to get under, he still struck out eight, including Jose Altuve, Isaac Parades and Yordan Alvarez in his first inning as a full-time member of a big-league rotation.
The lineup averaged five runs per game on the trip and hit 10 homers, four coming from a healthy and resurgent Wilmer Flores and three from Heliot Ramos, who tied a franchise record by opening his season with an extra-base hit in six consecutive games. The Giants have gotten very little from offseason addition Willy Adames and leadoff hitter LaMonte Wade Jr., who homered Wednesday to pick up his first hit of the year, but the lineup appears to have solid depth.
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The baserunning was outstanding the entire trip, and the Giants allowed just one stolen base on the other side. When two runners were put in motion Wednesday, Ramos hit a double to pad the lead.
For a few innings Wednesday, it appeared the Giants finally had made an error. Casey Schmitt started at first base for the first time and couldn't handle a liner in the fifth that scored two runs, but it was later changed to a single. Through six games, the Giants don't officially have an error, and Matt Chapman and Adames have looked like a strong duo on the left side as expected.
In short, there's a lot to be happy about, but none of that is even what stood out to Flores, who has regained his role as the everyday designated hitter.
"We're sticking together," he said.
That was apparent in the tricky fifth, which included two of Roupp's four walks and a pop-up that fell between him, Chapman and catcher Sam Huff. Randy Rodriguez entered and limited the damage, striking out a pair with runners on the corners in a two-run game. When Rodriguez returned to the dugout, Roupp and Justin Verlander were waiting with high-fives.
A few innings later, the Giants gathered on the mound for a fifth handshake line in six games. They're off to a 5-1 start for the first time since 2014, the year Beede was drafted. They also, somehow, find themselves looking up at two teams in their division.
There was a lot of good over the last week, but the Giants also were reminded of how difficult the sledding will be in the National League West. The Los Angeles Dodgers kicked off their title defense with seven consecutive wins and look poised to challenge the all-time record. The San Diego Padres are 7-0, too.
The Giants are 5-1 and third in their own division, but that doesn't bother them. Asked if he knew what the rest of the West was up to, Melvin shook his head and shrugged. He's focused on his own group, and right now there's a lot to like.