When the good ol' days were bad
Angels 2, Giants 0
For the rest of time, any talented Giants pitcher who doesn't receive run support will elicit memories of Matt Cain. Getting #Cained is a unique right of passage in San Francisco. A distinct flavor of Torture.
Logan Webb doesn't like the taste of it very much. He took the L after striking out 12 and allowing one earned run. His track record of tough-luck losses still doesn't stack up to Cain, but there's a resume coming together.
Going back to 2023, the Giants have lost 15 games when Webb gave up two earned runs or less. They've also gone 16-32 in that time when he's allowed two earned runs or more.
Basically, if Webb doesn't pitch a gem, it's probably not going to work out. And even when he does, like Friday night in Anaheim, sometimes it's still not enough.
There's always going to be pressure to win those games—to win any time Webb pitches—but it's even greater given the current state of the rotation. Jordan Hicks, Robbie Ray, and Justin Verlander are a roll of the dice right now. Webb is as close to a certainty as the Giants have, but then again, so was Matt Cain.
Up next: Landon Roupp takes the ball Saturday evening against the veteran Kyle Hendricks. I’m already bracing for seven shutout innings or some kind of nonsense. First pitch at 6:38 pm. No, I don’t know why 6:38. The Angels are weird.