As the Giants deal with a slew of injuries both on the mound and behind the plate, the one thing they could count on during the 2024 MLB season's first month was ace Logan Webb.
But after struggling in back-to-back games, Webb has hit a rough patch at an inconvenient time for San Francisco. After lasting just 3 2/3 innings in the Giants' 4-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox on April 30, Webb on Sunday allowed five runs (four earned) across four innings of work in San Francisco's 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
The two starts marked the first time Webb has gone consecutive outings without completing five innings since throwing 4 2/3 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 18, 2022, and 4 2/3 innings against the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 24, 2022, per the Giants.
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And, ironically enough, the Giants' loss to the Phillies on Sunday snapped a nine-game streak of scoring no more than three runs, as San Francisco plated four with their ace notoriously known for a lack of run support on the mound. But Webb once again struggled with his changeup -- something he noted after his last start -- and ultimately left one over the middle of the plate Sunday that Phillies slugger Bryce Harper smashed for a three-run homer.
Despite his recent struggles, Webb, the 2023 MLB season's innings leader and No. 5 in the rankings so far this season, has proven he's a workhorse no matter the score -- and the gap between his consecutive starts with five or fewer innings shows how consistent he has been.
The Giants' bullpen was able to control the damage Sunday once Webb came out of the game, with reliever Sean Hjelle striking out six Phillies across two innings of work, Taylor Rogers fanning two and Ryan Walker striking out three.
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With Alex Cobb and Blake Snell both on the mend, however, San Francisco needs it starters to keep up the dominant run that kept the Giants afloat through April. Webb is a huge piece of that, the the Giants will get a good look at the future Monday in Philadelphia as pitching prospect Mason Black makes his highly anticipated MLB debut.
And while things might have seemed dire with catchers Patrick Bailey and Tom Murphy both on the injured list, Jakson Reetz hit his first MLB homer just a few hours after the Giants selected his contract from Triple-A Sacramento.
Sunday's loss put the Giants at 15-20 on the season and dropped Webb's record to 3-3 with a 3.50 ERA. If San Francisco wants to improve upon its fourth-place standing in the NL West, Webb getting back to his innings-eating self is key.
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