Justin Verlander vs. Nick Lodolo
After the cruel post-Opening Day hiatus, San Francisco Giants baseball is back. The Giants are staying in Ohio for the second of three games against the Cincinnati Reds, as their quest for an undefeated season continues. And this is an exciting game, folks.
It’s right-handed pitcher Justin Verlander’s Giants debut as he takes the mound at Great American Ballpark. It will be the first data point to help us learn if Verlander is the pitcher he was last year, when he had a 5.48 ERA and a 4.78 FIP, or the pitcher he was the year before, when he had a 3.22 ERA and a 3.85 FIP … or maybe even the pitcher he was the year before, when he had a 1.75 ERA, a 2.49 FIP, and won his third Cy Young Award.
For the Reds, it’s left-hander Nick Lodolo, the seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft who is beginning his fourth season in the big leagues … and his first as an unquestioned member of the Reds rotation. In 21 games last year, the 27-year old went 9-6 with a 4.76 ERA, a 3.95 FIP, and 122 strikeouts against 37 walks in 115.1 innings.
With a victory, the Giants will have their first series win of the season. That sure would be nice. Enjoy the game, everyone!
Game #2
Who: San Francisco Giants (1-0 vs. Cincinnati Reds (0-1)
Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
When: 1:10 p.m. PT
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
National broadcast: n/a
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM