Landen Roupp last bagged a win on April 26th, when he allowed 3 runs over 7.2 innings against Friday’s opponent, the Miami Marlins.
When Roupp walked off the mound that night in late April, he felt satisfied. He had pitched into the 8th, authored his fourth quality start in the season’s first six games, whittled his ERA down to 2.55, his WHIP sub – 1.00, and set his team up for a win. The Giants did win that game, their fifth in six Roupp starts.
But in the intervening weeks something changed. Roupp
climbed the hill eight different times and in various ways left it prematurely, frustrated, gassed, bogged-down, alienated. Only once during that stretch did he pitch through the 6th inning and earn a quality start. His ERA ballooned past 4.00.
The Giants record in those games: 0-8.
As we all know after a feast comes a famine. Neither lasts forever — but one tends to end abruptly and the other lingers. On this Friday night in June, Roupp walked off the mound in Miami with 18 outs recorded for the first time in a month. It felt different, maybe not quite like a “feast,” but hinting at earlier days. Six complete, over the hump, with just one walk given, quickly erased on a double play to end his evening. After leaning on his signature curveball early, Roupp upped his change-up usage each time through the order with the off-speed fetching four of his seven total strikeouts. He surrendered 2 runs, both RBIs delivered by the bat of Owen Caissie.
It could’ve been worse, but the right-hander mitigated the damage and managed traffic with some gritty pitching. With a runner, or runners threatening from scoring position, Miami went just 1-for-8, including four K’s.
All that — and the Giants are now…0-9 with Roupp at the helm.
The drought continues. Roupp exited the game with a 3-2 lead. Every time Miami notched a run off of him, San Francisco’s offense had a response. They erased two deficits before nosing ahead in the 6th. Daniel Susac missed a grand slam by a couple of feet, settling for a sac fly in the 2nd. Soon after Caissie’s RBI double reclaimed their lead in the 5th, Rafael Devers led off the next frame with a 407 footer to the second deck in right-center.
Jung Hoo Lee piled on with a double, his second hit of the night, and scored on Casey Schmitt’s flipped single to right for the Giants’ first lead of the night.
The lead lasted for an inning. Not long for this world the moment Tony Vitello dipped into the Giants’ rainbow relief corps and pulled out Sam Hentges. In an 0-2 count, the Bible-thumping Hentges thumped pinch hitter Esteury Ruiz with a fastball to start the inning, defying the first of the Bullpen Commandments: Thou shalt not walk the leadoff batter. A transgression that proved consequential. Before Hentges could even record an out, Ruiz had rounded the bases on a bunt single and roller into right. Two pitches later Caissie collected his third RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly that proved to be the fatal coup.
A hit by pitch, a couple of singles, a sac fly shut San Francisco up for good. They had no response. Right when the pitching faltered, the offense went silent and cold. Three Miami relievers tag-teamed to retire the last 10 Giant hitters in order.
4-3, final score.
