SAN FRANCISCO – Most of the talk surrounding the Giants this season has been about the addition of ace pitcher Justin Verlander and an offense that has shown a certain panache for coming through in the clutch.
It’s certainly fair to say the bullpen has been equally responsible, if not more so, for San Francisco’s best start to a season in more than two decades.
Take the three-game weekend series against the Seattle Mariners for example.
Giants relievers had to shoulder a heavy load against the Mariners, especially considering Verlander left Friday’s game after recording just seven outs. The bullpen combined to pitch 15 1/3 innings in the three-game sweep while carving a nifty 1.17 ERA.
San Francisco manager Bob Melvin reached deep into his bag of tricks against Seattle, leaning on eight different relievers to get through the series. Five of the six — Randy Rodriguez, Tyler Rogers, Ryan Walker, Erik Miller and Camilo Doval — each pitched in two of the games, while Lou Trivino, Spencer Bivens and Hayden Birdsong pitched in one game apiece.
With the exception of blown saves by Trivino and Doval on Friday — and another by Doval in Sunday’s eventual 5-4 walk-off win — the ‘pen was on point.
“We have a lot of good arms in our bullpen, and we had to use them a lot,” Melvin said. “Everybody’s contributed. Doesn’t surprise me that the bullpen has pitched this well in the series [while] covering quite a few innings.”
Sunday’s victory was a good example of how well the Giants’ bullpen has been.
After starter Jordan Hicks was pulled in the sixth inning, Rodriguez came in and escaped of a one-out jam with one runner on. Rogers followed with a 1-2-3 inning, then Miller entered and allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base before inducing an infield pop-up and an inning-ending double play.
With Walker unavailable after pitching on consecutive days, Melvin then turned to Doval. In typical torture fashion, the former Giants closer gave up the tying run in the top of the ninth but got off the hook when Wilmer Flores came through with his 13th career walk-off hit.
“I know how good we are and I know how good we will be,” Birdsong told NBC Sports Bay Area. “This series we threw well in certain situations, but I think we’re going to be better down the road. Right now it’s kind of figuring it out.”
In 2024, the Giants had a decent bullpen that went through various alterations throughout the course of the season. San Francisco had a 3.96 ERA that was the 16th-lowest mark in the majors while teaming up for a league-leading 658 strikeouts.
Albeit a small sample size, this season’s bullpen is a major strength so far.
Heading into Sunday’s game, Giants relievers had combined for a 1.75 ERA that was the third-best mark in the majors and had five saves, tied for second in MLB.
“It’s incredible for the starters because it frees them up to play their own games,” Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski said. “They don’t have to worry about anybody coming in behind them because everybody’s been nails. It’s great to see and it’s fun to watch. These guys have worked so hard, and we saw it in spring training.”
Versatility and depth have been the early common theme for the bullpen. Almost all of San Francisco’s relievers can pitch in multiple situations and can be used in the set-up role if need be. Walker and Doval also are interchangeable at the back end.
“You feel strong one through eight,” Miller said. “It’s always a good feeling where no matter who gets the ball, you feel like they’re going to go out there and shut it down.”
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