PHOENIX_It's no secret the San Francisco Giants have fielded one of the oldest rosters in baseball, relying on a core group of experienced veterans who are tasked with forging a path into contention in the National League.
That roster took a big step forward with a series-opening 2-1 win against the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks Friday, but the Giants took that step thanks to their youngest players.
Rookies Austin Slater and Andrew Suarez weren't projected for major roles this season, but they shared the spotlight in an impressive effort that helped the Giants move to 4.5 games behind Arizona in the standings.
Slater opened the scoring for the night with an RBI double in the second before ripping another opposite field double to break a 1-1 tie in the seventh. Suarez did the rest of the heavy lifting, working six innings against a tough Arizona lineup that tagged him for four earned runs in his major league debut April 11.
The duo received a lift from a third rookie, reliever Reyes Moronta, who tossed a scoreless seventh inning and retired Dbacks slugger Paul Goldschmidt to end a 1-2-3 frame. San Francisco did need a few veterans to pitch in, as left-hander Tony Watson worked the eighth before Will Smith picked up his second career save and his first since April 13, 2014 when he played for the Milwaukee Brewers.
With veterans Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija set to rejoin the Giants rotation within the next two weeks, Suarez understands each outing is an opportunity to prove he belongs on the starting staff. Manager Bruce Bochy indicated the Giants have discussed shifting Suarez and some of the other young starters to the bullpen to clear space for Cueto and Samardzija, but Suarez's most recent outings have made that move increasingly difficult.
Suarez was a victim of bad luck for the first half of Friday's contest, allowing five infield hits including one in the third that allowed Arizona to load the bases and one in the fifth that advanced Jon Jay into scoring position. The rookie managed to keep his poise, ending both innings by inducing groundouts that prevented the D'Backs from scratching a run across.
The Giants struck first against Corbin as Slater roped a one-out double into the right field corner in the top of the second. Slater's hit scored Buster Posey, but the Giants' opportunity to bring Slater in from scoring position was short-lived.
After Pablo Sandoval hit a groundball to shortstop Nick Ahmed, Slater took off toward third base. The Dbacks infielder easily threw him out, robbing the Giants of a scoring opportunity and highlighting a costly mental error on the base paths from Slater.
Slater's torrid first half with Triple-A Sacramento helped him earn a promotion to the big leagues, but the Giants have been reluctant to reward him with regular starting opportunities since he joined the club a week ago. His start in left field Friday was just his second since his call-up, and while Slater deserves an extended chance to play, it's harder for inexperienced players to overcome their mistakes on a Giants team with several veterans competing for starts.
Arizona finally did even the score against Suarez in the sixth inning after second baseman Ketel Marte led off the frame with a double over Andrew McCutchen's head in right field. The Dbacks' fifth infield hit of the night moved Marte to third before he raced home on a Jake Lamb sacrifice fly.
That was all the damage the Dbacks did against Suarez, who lowered his ERA to 4.18 with six innings of one-run ball. After his ERA skyrocketed to 5.68 following a loss to the Astros May 22, the left-hander posted impressive numbers throughout the month of June, compiling three quality starts while allowing two runs or fewer in five of his six outings.
For decision-makers who will undoubtedly rely on recency bias to determine who loses a spot in the Giants rotation, the resume Suarez built over the last several weeks is hard to ignore. With a June ERA of 2.62, Suarez stated his case to continue starting, and the rest is now out of his hands.
