Drew Smyly wants to be a starter. His team wants him in the rotation, too.
But the Giants are in the race for a spot in the postseason and Smyly’s versatility will serve them well down the stretch. For now, that means pitching in whatever role suits the club best.
On Thursday, it meant four innings of solid relief in the 6-1 loss to the Padres at Petco Park that snapped San Francisco’s five-game win streak. Giants starter Trevor Cahill gave up four runs on five hits in three innings, which served to make Smyly’s eight strikeouts and two hits allowed more timely -- and impressive. He also gave up two runs in the 59-pitch outing.
“That was an outstanding performance by Drew,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “His stuff looked crisp and I thought he was able to locate well. He was able to get swings and misses with his fastball, curveball and really nice cutters. The velocity was there, and he maintained it throughout the outing.”
Exactly how long Smyly remains a reliever is to be determined. He was activated off the injured list before Thursday’s game after missing almost six weeks because of a left index finger strain. He needs to be able to pitch multiple innings, so a role in the bullpen seems like a logical landing spot until he can stretch out his pitch count. He also hasn’t pitched more than four innings in an outing this season.
But it’s worth noting that Smyly showed good command Thursday, with a fastball that topped out at 95.9 mph and an effective curveball that generated five whiffs on the six swings against it. He also has 108 career starts on his résumé and he’s finally back at full strength after missing the 2017-18 seasons while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Also, San Francisco -- like every contending club -- could use more depth in its rotation. Giants starters are 9-11 with a 4.91 ERA, which ranks 19th in MLB.
Will the Giants be tempted to insert Smyly into the rotation, especially with the club holding onto the eighth and final spot in the National League postseason standings with a 23-22 record, just behind the Marlins (20-19) by a few percentage points? Does Smyly need to pitch at least five innings of relief in an outing before the club starts him?
Those are among the many questions that remain, and they likely won’t be answered -- at least publicly -- ahead of time. The Giants are one of the few teams that do not publicize their probable starters several days in advance.
“We have looked at some different scenarios and ways to lay out a rotation going forward,” Kapler said. “We'll continue to consider what best way to get the best out of every starter given their rest and their workload, but also to line up our best guys potentially.”
As for Cahill, he gave up a pair of hits to Trent Grisham and Fernando Tatis Jr. to start the bottom of the first. Both scored on a double by Mitch Moreland, who then trotted home on a double by Austin Nola to push San Diego’s lead to 3-0.
Wilmer Flores got the Giants on the board with a solo home run, his ninth homer of the season, in the top of the second, but the Padres tacked on another run in the third. Smyly gave up a home run to Jorge Oña in the fourth to extend San Diego’s advantage to 5-1. He was charged with an unearned run in the seventh.
“I've been feeling really good this whole year, minus this little finger injury,” Smyly said. “So, hopefully, I can just pick right back up where I left off and help this team down the stretch.”