Giants manager Gabe Kapler addresses Logan Webb’s rough start to the season, saying he’s not worried about his ace’s struggles long-term and believes the right-hander will return to form soon.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Being the Giants' staff ace lined Logan Webb up for a pretty incredible stretch of matchups. He faced Gerrit Cole on Opening Day, Dylan Cease in his second start, and Julio Urias on Monday, a group that could provide the Cy Young Award winners in both leagues.
It has been an imposing start, but Webb, when he is at his best, is built for it. Two years ago, he went up against Urias and Walker Buehler in his first postseason and held his own, and the Giants rarely go into a Webb start feeling they're overmatched.
Right now, Webb isn't at his best, and his team isn't anywhere close.
The Giants lost 9-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, with Webb giving up the first four runs. He has allowed four earned in each of his three starts, dropping all three.
There is not a whole lot in the overall profile that is discouraging. Webb's velocity has been good -- he topped out at 95 mph on Monday -- and he has 22 strikeouts in 17 innings to just three walks.
But the runs have come in bunches, with Max Muncy doing most of the damage on Monday when he hit the first of two loud homers. After allowing 11 homers last year and just nine in a breakout 2021 season, Webb has already given up four in three starts.
"Just too many mistake pitches," he said. "It's a horses--t job by me."
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The Muncy homer carried extra sting because it came too batters after Freddie Freeman bounced one back to the mound that looked like a double play. Webb couldn't glove it and Brandon Crawford's off-balance throw skipped past first, putting runners on the corners. The ball was ruled an infield single, but Webb pointed out that it was hit 59 mph and touched his glove.
"That's an error," Webb said. "I don't know how that's a hit. That's 100 percent a play I need to make. That's what happens when you make a stupid play like that, it comes back to haunt you."
Webb tends to wear losses, but there wasn't much to be done on this night. The Giants managed just one run on a Wilmer Flores homer and struck out 13 times. They have 115 strikeouts through their first 10 games, the third-most in MLB history, trailing only two Baltimore Orioles teams that lost 100-plus games.
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The offensive issues have put extra pressure on a starting staff that's off to an unexpectedly rocky start, and until a couple of key bats -- Mitch Haniger and Austin Slater -- return, it might not get much better against left-handed pitching. That's a problem for the coaching staff to sort out in the coming days, but as the Giants wait for Webb's next turn to come around, manager Gabe Kapler doesn't see anything particularly glaring with his ace.
"His location hasn't been perfect. That's not unusual," Kapler said. "He's a guy that relies on heavy movement and every once in a while teams will square up his sinker. Right now I think they're elevating it more than they have in the past but I don't see that as problematic long-term. What I see from Logan is a guy who is getting swings-and-misses and not walking guys, and he's throwing hard. This is a good signal early in the year that he's coming out throwing 94.
"Obviously, in order for us to beat a team like the Dodgers, he's going to have to be great. He wasn't at his best tonight and that was the difference in the game."