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Up Next: Blue Jays face Matt Chapman and Jordan Hicks in San Francisco
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Photo credit: © David Richard - USA Today
Ryley Delaney
Jul 9, 2024, 20:30 EDTUpdated: Jul 9, 2024, 20:44 EDT
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For the first time since 2019, the Toronto Blue Jays will head to San Francisco to face off against the Giants.
The last time the two teams played at Oracle Park was back in mid-May 2019, with the Jays splitting the series at one apiece. In the first game of the series (and the third game against the Giants that season), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his first two home runs in the big leagues.

Nuts and Bolts

Tuesday, July 9th, 9:45 EST: Yusei Kikuchi (4-8, 4.12 ERA) vs Blake Snell (0-3, 9.51 ERA)
Wednesday, July 10th, 9:45 EST: Chris Bassitt (7-7, 3.43 ERA) vs Logan Webb (7-6, 3.09 ERA)
Thursday, July 11th, 3:45 EST: Kevin Gausman (6-8, 4.64 ERA) vs Jordan Hicks (4-5, 3.47 ERA)

Starting Pitching

Overall, the starting pitching for the San Francisco Giants hasn’t been great. In terms of ERA, the 4.53 ERA ranks 24th-best in the league (or seventh-worst). Moreover, their 4.03 FIP is in the middle of the pack, ranking as the 14th-best in the league.
This season, the San Francisco Giants have had 13 different pitchers start a game. Now, a handful of them have been openers, such as Ryan Walker and Daulton Jefferies. However, only two pitchers have made every start possible, Logan Webb and former Blue Jay, Jordan Hicks.
Webb is their ace, as he has a 3.09 ERA and a 2.71 FIP in 119.1 innings pitched along with a 21.2 K% and a 5.6 BB%. The Blue Jays see him on Wednesday. As for Hicks, they’ll face off against their former backup closer on Thursday, and he has a 3.47 ERA and a 4.04 FIP in 90.2 innings pitched.
Blake Snell was one of their big signings this season, but the reigning National League Cy Young winger is struggling, posting a 9.51 ERA and a 4.65 FIP in 23.2 innings pitched. The K% is also down to 26.1%, while his BB% isn’t great, sitting at 11.8 BB%. Things have to turn around for him at some point, let’s hope it’s not on Tuesday.

Bullpen

The Giants bullpen isn’t as bad as the Blue Jays bullpen, but it isn’t great either. With a 4.34 ERA, it ranks as the 21st in the league, while their 3.80 FIP ranks tied for 10th in the league. Interestingly, they are tied with the Seattle Mariners, the team the Jays just played.
Their best reliever this season has been the aforementioned Ryan Walker, who has a 1.96 ERA and a 2.12 FIP in 46 innings pitched out of the bullpen, along with a 33.3 K% and a 5.2 BB%. The Rogers’ twins have been great, as Taylor has a 1.98 ERA and a 3.19 FIP in 36.1 innings pitched, while Tyler has a 2.76 ERA and a 3.07 FIP in 42.1 innings pitched.
Big righty Spencer Hjelle, who stands at 6’11”, has a 3.83 ERA and a 3.68 FIP in 44.2 innings pitched, along with a 25.1 K% and a 3.3 BB%. For his size, the walk rate is quite impressive. Other relievers in their pen include closer Camilo Doval (4.04 ERA, 3.56 FIP), Luke Jackson (5.06 ERA, 4.45 FIP), Randy Rodríguez (4.33 ERA, 3.36 FIP) and Erik Miller (4.31 ERA, 4.48 FIP).

Hitting

Collectively, the bats of the San Francisco Giants are fine. In terms of wRC+, they rank 12th with a 103 wRC+, while the team’s .703 OPS ranks in the middle of the pack. The Giants have hit 90 home runs this season, the 20th-most in the league, which may have a bit to do with their home ballpark.
Former Blue Jay Matt Chapman is tied for the lead in home runs, as he’s slashing .244/.327/.423 with 12 homers in 379 plate appearances for a 116 wRC+ and a 2.4 fWAR this season. Youngster Heliot Ramos also has 12 home runs, but leads the team with a 152 wRC+ (minimum of 200 plate appearances).
Catcher Patrick Bailey has put together a nice season as well, slashing .269/.340/.409 with six homers in 239 plate appearances for a 2.2 fWAR. LaMonte Wade Jr. has three homers in 195 plate appearances with a 157 wRC+ and a 1.8 fWAR. Thairo Estrada has nine homers and a 1.2 fWAR, while Michael Conforoto has 10 home runs.

Final word

Hopefully, the Jays can carry the momentum they got after taking two of three in Seattle over the weekend. While the Giants aren’t a powerhouse in their division anymore with their 44-47 record, they are a dangerous team.
The Blue Jays have a 41-49 record and are 8.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot. If they have any hopes of even sniffing the playoffs, they have to start sweeping some series, and soon.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

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