PHOENIX — After the bottom of the eighth inning, Robbie Ray walked slowly back to the visiting dugout at Chase Field and made eye contact with manager Bob Melvin. The left-hander had thrown just 78 pitches, but you never know in today’s game.
The complete game has just about been washed out of modern baseball. There have been just 10 of them in the National League this season, and no pitcher has done it twice. The math says you’re not even supposed to let a guy face a lineup a third time, let alone a fourth. Most front offices these days would rather see a random reliever soak up that last inning or two of a blowout and save a few bullets for the starter. Occasionally in 2025, teams throw position players out on the mound to further save arms.
But there was no doubt for Melvin and Ray. The manager knew his bullpen was gassed and needed a break. Ray hadn’t thought much about how it had been eight years since his last CG, but he knew he felt great and had been on the attack for eight innings. When the two made eye contact, no words were exchanged.
“He deserved it,” Melvin said after Thursday’s 7-2 win. “He wanted it.”
Melvin had his contract option picked up before this series, but this has not been a generally positive stretch for the manager, and not just because of all the losing. Every night is stressful on the top step of the dugout, but the last couple of months have been filled with extra heartburn. The Giants seemingly play a one-run game every night. Even when they’re up by two or three late, they always seem to give runs back. On Wednesday, a 5-2 lead late turned into an extra-innings win that required using closer Camilo Doval to get six outs.
The win on Thursday looked relatively easy on paper, but Melvin still had to sweat in the ninth. Ray gave up a solo homer with one out and then issued a walk. With Spencer Bivens and Erik Miller getting loose, pitching coach J.P. Martinez came out and told Ray to empty the tank. There was a pop-up on the next pitch, and as Ray’s pitch count climbed past 100, he figured he was facing his final batter. Melvin had him down for two more, maximum.
On his 102nd pitch, Ray reached back for 95 mph. He had good stuff all night, but that game-ending strikeout was still his sixth-hardest pitch of the night. It was his 39th four-seamer, and like many of the others, it stayed true to the top rail.
“I felt really good today,” Ray said. “This year, just kind of all around, it’s a full year of being healthy. That’s the biggest thing. That’s allowed me to do what I’ve been able to do this year. I always knew that it was in there. It takes time after the (Tommy John) surgery — you know, talking to guys, they said 18-20 months is kind of where the sweet spot is and you kind of feel like yourself again. I hit that around spring training. That’s when I started feeling like myself again.”
In just about every way, Ray’s numbers are in line with his 2021 season. He won the Cy Young Award that year, but he wasn’t an All-Star despite having a good first half.
Ray said he hasn’t thought much about making this year’s team, and he’s trying not to get his hopes too high. He knows that strange things can happen when MLB accounts for every team having an All-Star, but three days before the announcement, Ray is tied for the NL lead in wins, fourth in innings, fifth in strikeouts and eighth in ERA. If the Giants get what they believe they deserve, Ray will join Logan Webb and Randy Rodriguez on the team.
That’s a conversation for Sunday and the following week. If the Giants elect to protect their young pitchers, Ray could come back to start the final Sunday of the first half, which would make him ineligible to pitch in the All-Star Game. Still, he can be named, and the hope is that honor comes Sunday.
On Thursday night, there was simply joy about a good all-around win. Willy Adames reached base four times to pace the offense and backup catcher Andrew Knizner worked well with Ray. Brett Wisely did a Matt Chapman impersonation at third base, too, as the Giants got a series split.
It was a wild week in the desert, one that started with the surprising announcement about Melvin’s status. The Giants lost the next two games, briefly giving the Diamondbacks hope that they could grab third place in the NL West by the end of the series. Instead, the Giants left Arizona in a tie for the final NL Wild Card spot.
“We’re feeling really good,” Ray said. “To be able to split the series, to be able to come back and win this, it’s huge. We’ve been grinding these past two weeks. Even last night’s game, having to come back in extras and win it, to be able to do that and grind and win, and then the bats get hot tonight, it was really fun to watch.
“They gave me an early lead which allowed me to attack the zone more. We’re looking forward to getting back home and keep grinding.”
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