Logan Webb vs. Blake Snell.
The penultimate series of the 2023 season is starting for the San Francisco Giants, as they get ready to host the San Diego Padres for a three-game set. If I’d told you in March that this series would have critical NL West standings implications since the teams have the same record, you would have been thrilled. If I told you that a month or two ago, you would have been extremely disappointed.
And here we are.
The Giants made a move before the game, recalling right-handed pitcher Sean Hjelle, who pitched two innings on Sunday for AAA Sacramento. The corresponding move is that right-handed pitcher Luke Jackson has been placed on paternity leave. Congrats to him and his family!
It’s a battle of aces. For the Giants, that means righty Logan Webb takes the mound for his 33rd start. Webb is 10-13 with a 3.35 ERA, a 3.22 FIP, and 187 strikeouts to 31 walks in 207 innings. He leads the Majors in innings pitched, and leads the National League in walks per nine innings (1.3) and strikeouts per walk (6.03). But he wasn’t his sharpest his last time out, giving up three runs in six innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Webb is scheduled to pitch in the final game of the season on Sunday, and manager Gabe Kapler said yesterday that Webb would make that start even though the Giants will almost surely be eliminated. But that of course could change, so enjoy watching him tonight. You may have to wait for March to see him again.
For the Padres it’s lefty Blake Snell, who makes his 32nd start. He’s 14-9 on the year, with a 2.33 ERA, a 3.48 FIP, and 227 strikeouts to 97 walks in 174 innings. Despite leading the Majors (in the bad way) in walks, Snell leads the Majors (in the good way) in ERA. He also leads the Majors in ERA+ (176) and hits per nine innings (5.7). He’s given up just two runs in 32 innings over his last five starts.
The pitching matchup could have award season implications, as Webb and Snell are two of the top candidates for National League Cy Young. Webb is fifth in Fangraphs’ WAR and second in Baseball-Reference’s, while Snell, the 2018 AL Cy Young Winner, is sixth and first, respectively.
Enjoy the game, Giants fans!
Lineups
WAR data from Fangraphs
Giants
- Austin Slater (R) — CF — 97 OPS+ (+0.7 WAR)
- Thairo Estrada (R) — 2B — 102 OPS+ (+3.8 WAR)
- Luis Matos (R) — LF — 86 OPS+ (-0.4 WAR)
- J.D. Davis (R) — 1B — 101 OPS+ (+2.1 WAR)
- Marco Luciano (R) — SS — 113 OPS+ (+0.3 WAR)
- Mitch Haniger (R) — DH — 72 OPS+ (-0.3 WAR)
- Patrick Bailey (S) — C — 82 OPS+ (+2.9 WAR)
- Heliot Ramos (R) — RF — 67 OPS+ (-0.2 WAR)
- Tyler Fitzgerald (R) — 3B — 182 OPS+ (+0.2 WAR)
P. Logan Webb — RHP — 3.22 FIP (+4.6 WAR)
Padres
- Xander Bogaerts (R) — SS — 120 OPS+ (+4.3 WAR)
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (R) — RF — 118 OPS+ (+4.6 WAR)
- Juan Soto (L) — LF — 157 OPS+ (+5.3 WAR)
- Manny Machado (R) — DH — 116 OPS+ (+3.4 WAR)
- Ha-Seong Kim (R) — 3B — 115 OPS+ (+4.5 WAR)
- Ji Man Choi (L) — 1B — 71 OPS+ (-0.4 WAR)
- Matthew Batten (R) — 2B — 110 OPS+ (+0.3 WAR)
- Trent Grisham (L) — CF — 87 OPS+ (+1.5 WAR)
- Brett Sullivan (L) — C — 45 OPS+ (-0.3 WAR)
P. Blake Snell — LHP — 3.48 FIP (+3.9 WAR)
Game #157
Who: San Francisco Giants (77-79) vs. San Diego Padres (77-79)
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
When: 6:45 p.m. PT
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area (available on fuboTV)
National broadcast: FS1
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM