A yellow neon sign at Logan Webb’s locker says it all: “good vibes only.” That mostly tells the story of the Giants’ season.
Good vibes, not to mention good pitching, good hitting, and good defense. The Giants flashed it all while winning eight of their first nine games to secure Major League Baseball’s best record.
On Monday night at Oracle Park, the starting pitching was especially good, thanks to Webb and the Reds’ Hunter Greene who dueled scoreless inning after scoreless inning. Problem was, the Giants’ bullpen got involved, and Webb’s fabulous 97-pitch, 10-strikeout, zero-walk performance over seven innings went for naught.
The Giants lost 2-0. Their record fell to 8-2. They no longer own the top record in the majors. Or their own division. But one rough game, in which reliever Camilo Doval scuffled for the second straight day and the offense scuffled against the hard-throwing Greene, was no cause for gloom and doom in the Giants’ clubhouse.
In fact, there were a few smiles and pleasant conversations. Not the type of deathly quiet environment that’s commonly experienced after tough losses. Hey, the Giants are playing .800 ball, and until further notice, there’s no reason to pout. Plus, Webb pitched a winnable game by mixing his five pitches to keep Reds hitters off balance and mostly helpless. He was especially thrilled with his changeup, which he used to get half of his 12 swings and misses and five of his strikeouts.
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“We’re playing great baseball. Tonight sucked that we lost,” Webb said. “It’s weird to say, but if there’s any [good] way to lose a game, it’s like that — with a guy going out there and pitching a hell of a game against us. That’s baseball. We’re super-excited in here. It’s only our second loss. Guys are patting each other on the back.”
That was especially true with Heliot Ramos, who came to the plate with two outs and two on in the bottom of the ninth inning and hit a scorching liner to left field that Jacob Hurtubise caught only after sprinting toward the infield and lunging for the ball.
“Ramos obviously is upset lining out to end the game, but it was a great swing,” Webb said. “Guys are going up to him telling him it was a great swing. Stuff like that I think is important. It’s exciting for me to see.”
Webb speaks like a team leader because he is one. At his locker, he has Justin Verlander to his left and Robbie Ray to his right, surrounded by more seasoned pitchers who combined to win four Cy Young Awards. But in this rotation, Webb is the undisputed No. 1 guy, the homegrown ace who pitched his way through the farm system, dominated in two starts in the 2021 playoffs against the Dodgers, and then finished 11th, second and sixth in Cy Young voting in 2022, 2023 and 2024, surpassing 200 innings each of the past two seasons.
Manager Bob Melvin has repeatedly suggested Webb has what it takes to win a Cy Young Award, and the presence of Verlander and Ray nearby can’t hurt.
“He’s like a sponge. He’s constantly trying to learn,” Melvin said. “He comes to spring training every year with something to make him better. With the resources of guys who have won the award before, that’s next for him.”
Monday’s start reaffirmed why he was chosen to start Opening Day for a fourth straight year. He gave up four hits, all singles. One runner was erased on a double play, another when Webb caught Spencer Steer leaning too far off first — Webb threw to first, and LaMonte Wade Jr. ran Steer toward second until Jeimer Candelaria suddenly broke for home, then Wade turned and easily got the out at the plate.
It was Webb’s eighth career double-digit strikeout game and third without a walk. He was pulled after seven innings because he was up to 97 pitches, and Melvin summoned Doval hoping for a bounce-back performance after the right-hander blew a save opportunity Sunday.
But Doval walked one batter and plunked another. A sacrifice bunt advanced the runners, and Melvin replaced the struggling reliever with lefty Erik Miller. Two batters later, Blake Dunn hit a two-run double, and the Giants’ win streak was snapped at seven.
The eighth inning usually belongs to Tyler Rogers, but the submarine pitcher has had a heavy workload of late. Same with Doval, but Doval made it clear he wanted to get back on the mound. Relievers like to redeem themselves as quickly as possible. In this case, it didn’t work out.
As with Ramos, Webb was nothing but positive when speaking of Doval, who had pitched well leading up to the past two days.
“It’s a tough game. Maybe he didn’t have his best stuff today,” Webb said. “We all have faith and trust in Camilo. He’s an All-Star, one of the better relievers in baseball. Every time he goes out there, we have faith he’s going to do well. Today was just a hiccup. Nothing we’re worried about.”
Webb, who’s in line to make his next start over the weekend at Yankee Stadium, was encouraged with the effectiveness of his changeup. He said he studied video of the pitch from 2023, when it was far more elite than it was in 2024, and made adjustments in a bid to turn back the clock.
“It’s the most excited I’ve been about my changeup in a long time,” he said.
It wasn’t just the changeup.
“Now he’s got a four-seamer up in the zone,” Melvin said. “He’s got a cutter in for lefties. He’s got multiple pitches beyond just sinker and changeup. You’re seeing some really awkward swings right now. When he’s punching out 10 for a guy that’s more of a ground-ball guy, it means he’s pretty effective and has some good swing-and-miss stuff now, too.”
The Giants, who collected just three hits off Greene through eight innings, threatened with two outs in the ninth when Jung Hoo Lee singled and Matt Chapman walked. Greene was replaced by Tony Santillan, and Ramos lined out to end the game.
A tough no-decision for Webb. Still, he’s feeling good vibes only.