SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- When you’ve made 261 starts in the big leagues over the course of 12 years, a start midway through Spring Training could be monotonous. But Robbie Ray viewed his start Monday in the Giants' 2-0 loss against the Angels at Scottsdale Stadium as an opportunity.
Of the 56 pitches that Ray threw in his fourth Cactus League start, 12 were sliders. They averaged 85.9 mph, 2.0 mph slower than where the pitch sat last season. If they looked different, that was by design.
“I've kind of been tweaking it over the last few weeks, just trying to get the consistent shape that I want on it,” Ray said. “I’m less concerned with the velocity on it, I'm more concerned with the shape of it. That was the main focus today.”
The slider -- when paired with the knuckle-curve -- made Ray tremendously difficult to square up. He worked four no-hit frames and logged nine whiffs, seven of which came on that pair of breakers, including all four of his strikeouts. But the outing also featured four walks and a hit-by-pitch, giving his line a uniquely Scottsdale-ian quality.
“I felt like everything was kind of coming out the way I wanted it to,” Ray said. “I just tried some different stuff that I don't normally do.”
Every starter would enjoy humming through an opposing lineup, but the foot traffic at first Monday allowed Ray to work on another part of his repertoire: his pickoff move.
After walking Angels outfielder Bryce Teodosio with one out in the third, Ray was behind in the count 1-0 to the next batter. He pulled out what he deemed his “best move” to catch Teodosio, who was off and running. It marked the first pickoff of the spring for Ray, who finished tied for third in the Majors last season with six pickoffs.
Another key storyline stemming from Monday’s tilt: Rafael Devers returned to the lineup after more than a week on the sidelines due to left hamstring tightness. He went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts while serving as the designated hitter from the leadoff spot.
Blade runs the buzzsaw
For rookies, much like veterans, spring games are there to use as an on-ramp toward the regular season. But sometimes, it becomes an outing you’ll never forget.
For Blade Tidwell, what was his scheduled day of work at Giants camp last Tuesday suddenly morphed into facing a monolithically stacked Team USA lineup as it prepared for World Baseball Classic Pool B action.
Tidwell, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Giants’ No. 10 prospect, is no stranger to the big stage. He played a key role in the starting rotation for the 2021 Tennessee Volunteers (managed by none other than the Giants’ new manager Tony Vitello) en route to their Men’s College World Series appearance before going on to being named to the All-Knoxville Regional Team the following year. He’s since been selected 52nd overall by the Mets in the 2022 Draft and pitched his way into a brief four-game foray in the big leagues last season.
“I've gotten better since college, and the SEC was a gauntlet, but that lineup is probably the best one ever assembled, so I think it's a little bit different,” Tidwell said of facing Team USA. “I thought it was a great experience though.”
It was quite the introduction to the game, as Tidwell entered in the fourth inning and immediately gave up a home run to Alex Bregman. But rather than becoming skittish, the 24-year-old immediately retired Cal Raleigh, Roman Anthony and Byron Buxton on seven pitches to finish off the frame.
The next inning was no breather. Brice Turang, Bobby Witt Jr., Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge all laced hits off Tidwell, but he did get Kyle Schwarber to bounce into a double play. In total, Tidwell worked 2 2/3 innings and yielded five runs on six hits and two walks.
“It was awesome, those are the guys you watched growing up, for me anyways because I'm younger,” Tidwell said. “There's no breaks in that lineup. There's no easy at-bats.”
“I think he's in the process of figuring out what this level is all about,” Vitello said last month of Tidwell, who is still battling for an Opening Day roster spot. “He's obviously got multiple occasions where he's gotten a taste of it. I think it helps him now that he has a vision of who he is currently and what it's like at the highest level and what he needs to do to have success.”