The Giants like their odds whenever undefeated left-handed starter Robbie Ray toes the rubber.
“Knock wood, for sure,” manager Bob Melvin told reporters after San Francisco’s 3-1 series-clinching win over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday at Wrigley Field. “I mean, 5-0 is a pretty good record – sub-three ERA now. When he takes the mound, we feel like we have a really good chance.”
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WATCH HERERay, a 12-year MLB veteran who won the 2021 AL Cy Young award with the Toronto Blue Jays, is amidst a career year in the Bay.
He has a 2.84 ERA through eight starts and has collected 46 strikeouts over 44 1/3 innings, all figures parallel to the 2.84 ERA and 248 strikeouts Ray finished with over 32 games and 193 1/3 frames during his Cy Young campaign.
Wednesday’s win in Chicago followed a similar tune to what Ray has produced all season. After the Giants handily beat the Cubs 14-5 on Tuesday, Ray followed by allowing three hits and one earned run through six frames. He needed 98 pitches to collect five strikeouts.
“After winning last night, Robby on the mound, we had a good feeling we were going to win today,” Melvin told reporters. “Get an off day tomorrow – it’s always nice to win before an off day too.”
Ray elicited 16 balls in play, but kept contact close to the ground.
San Francisco Giants
Melvin can get used to Ray – who appeared in a mere seven games in 2024 due to recoveries from Tommy John Surgery and a left hamstring strain – being an automatic win.
“Today – in the past, maybe he just throws high heaters and lets them get the ball in the air – he had a lot of ground balls, just enough strikeouts, gave us six innings,” Melvin told reporters.
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SIGN UP “He seems to be getting better as the season goes along, even though it’s been pretty good all season.”
Ray won a career-high 15 games as a 2017 MLB All-Star with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he has a chance to top that mark this season.
