San Francisco – Jordan Hicks wants to be in the starting rotation, and he made a case for it after Friday’s 3-2 walk-off win over the San Diego Padres for the home opener.
Hicks’s strong outing was solidified by Thairo Estrada’s game-winning double with one out to deep left in the bottom of the ninth, scoring in Matt Chapman who was hit by a pitch in the previous at-bat.
His Giants debut on March 30 in San Diego, Hick’s tied his career-longest outing of five innings, allowing just three runs with six strikeouts and a walk on 81 pitches. Today he improved by tying a career-long seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) five strikeouts on 91 pitches.
Hicks became the first San Francisco pitcher to reach seven innings on the mound this season, much to the delight, and relief, of new manager Bob Melvin who considered pulling Hicks with two outs in the seventh.
“We had an off day yesterday and our bullpen was beat up a little bit,” Melvin explained. “To be able to go seven, after the (Jurickson) Profar double (with two outs in the seventh inning), it was a bit of a tough decision one way or another. But luckily, he really wanted to go out there and his pitch count was under control.”
Hicks finished strong but was a bit shaky in his first three innings of work. He allowed an opening run to the Padres after Xander Bogearts led off the game with a double to left. Jake Cronenworth brought him home with an RBI single two batters later.
Hicks got tagged for another run, this time in the third after the Giants tied the game after Fernando Tatis Jr.’s RBI single an inning earlier. Hicks then went on to retire 12 of his last 13 batters faced, before Profar’s double snapped the streak of 11-straight batters retired.
“The pitch count was where it needed to be to stretch it out a little bit more,” said Hicks. “The last two outings I’ve been around 75 pitches, so getting up to that 90 mark was good for getting past that threshold.”
While Hicks got the job done on the mound, outfielder Michael Conforto continued his hot start to the season. He went 3-for-4 at the plate, driving in Jung Hoo Lee from first to tie the game at one apiece in the bottom of the first inning and drove in a run in the last four straight games.
San Francisco’s three-game weekend series continues, Saturday evening at 6:35 p.m. as Keaton Winn (0-1, 5.40 ERA, 6K) is set to take the mound against Michael King (1-0, 6.14 ERA, 11K).
Notes:
San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin gave his thoughts in his pregame press conference regarding the final Bay Bridge series with the Oakland Athletics. The team is set to relocate to Sacramento next season as they prepare for their full relocation to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2028.
“We’re going to go over there (to Sacramento) and play, which is going to be a little bit different,” he said. “But things are changing, not only with them playing in a different venue the next few years, but then moving out of the Bay.”
The Athletics announced their plans to have 2024 be the team’s final season at the Oakland Coliseum on Thursday. They will play at Sutter Health Park, the home of the Giants Triple-A affiliate Sacramento River Cats for the following three seasons starting in 2025 before, expectedly, heading to Las Vegas to complete what’s been a dramatic relocation process.
“This year we’ll really experience what the Coliseum is all about. It’s had so many great teams and great players there; this should be a special year and I’ll try to enjoy it as well.”
The Atherton, California native Melvin played for the Giants from 1986-1988 and managed the A’s from 2011-2021 where he led the team to back-to-back American League West division titles in 2012 and 2013, and one in the 2020 COVID season. He guided them to the playoffs in six of his 10 seasons as manager.
Newly signed pitcher Blake Snell will make his Giants debut Monday night against the Washington Nationals. The eighth-year left-hander signed a one-year, $32 million with the San Francisco during the Spring after winning the National League Cy Young Award with the San Diego Padres last season, the second of his career. He went 14-9 in 32 starts last year with a 2.25 ERA and a career-high 234 strikeouts.
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