SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- There were two problems for the fans who showed up at Scottsdale Stadium on Thursday night to watch Matt Chapman make his Giants debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
First, it rained throughout, forcing the game to be called in the third inning. And second, Kyle Harrison was so dominant in those three innings that Chapman hardly even got to break a sweat.
Harrison struck out six of the 12 batters he faced before a steady drizzle turned into a downpour that destroyed the mound. The game was canceled in the third with the teams scoreless.
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"It was the best I've seen him throw," manager Bob Melvin said of Harrison.
Harrison actually struck out six of the first 10 before back-to-back walks as he struggled with his footing. He was visibly frustrated during the second one and the grounds crew came out to try and rebuild the mound. After a couple of warmup pitches, the teams were taken off the field and the game was called off a few minutes later.
Harrison is lined up as the Giants' No. 2 starter and the short outing didn't do anything to impact his spring plans. Melvin said Harrison was set for about 60 pitches on Thursday and got into the fifties, so he remains on track to take the ball for the second game of the season.
San Francisco Giants
The Dodgers didn't bring their All-Stars to Scottsdale, but Harrison made quick work of the lineup that showed up, sitting at 94-95 mph with his fastball and showing a good feel for all four pitches.
Through three spring starts, Harrison has 12 strikeouts in seven innings. He allowed two hits on Thursday but only one left the infield. The second one was the only ball to get near Chapman, who laid out for the grounder but couldn't glove it. Nick Ahmed kept it on the infield, saving a run.
Chapman got just one at-bat because of the rain, striking out on a 2-2 fastball on the inside corner. He hit fifth, right behind cleanup hitter Jorge Soler in what appeared to be pretty close to the starting lineup against left-handed pitchers.
After a day off Wednesday, the Giants had most of their regulars in there against lefty James Paxton. It was notable, then, that it was Ahmed and not rookie Marco Luciano who got the nod at shortstop. He appears to have the inside track on the job after a hot start to his spring.