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SAN FRANCISCO – In January, when Farhan Zaidi stood in front of a group of Giants season ticket holders, he was asked if he was serious about the occasional use of a opener. The new president of baseball operations took the question on the fly, asking fans if they would stay against a first game if he could guarantee that the strategy would improve the chances of the Giants.
Zaidi learned a lesson that day. The majority of supporters in the room confirmed that, yes, they would still be against the first game, a recent addition to the MLB rotations, even if it helped to improve the club's chances.
Maybe the question should be asked again.
After Cincinnati Reds player Yasiel Puig dropped a suspended cursor from Jeff Samardzija in the stands of Oracle Park in the first leg of the Reds' 5-4 win on Saturday, the Giants allowed 40 points in 39 first rounds of the season. The Puig circuit was 16th against the Giants starters at the start, which is without a doubt their worst mark in a heat. The staff allowed only 16 circuits in the last four runs combined.
This is not just about pitching, though. The solo shot of Evan Longoria at the end of the run was the first circuit of a Giants hitter in the first run this season. They only have three points in the first year, as far as the Reds scored in a night at Oracle Park.
Add up, and the Giants were outclassed 40-3 in the first run this year.
As manager Bruce Bochy likes to say, "if it does not work, change something".
"Some things are hard to explain," Bochy said Saturday. "As a team, we had some tough times at the start, and it's hard to believe how much we gave up at the beginning of the inning and we need to fix it."
The corrections made so far have been subtle. Samardzija threw more shots than usual in the pen before the match, but it did not work. Derek Holland, who had a tough first run last week in Colorado, was transferred to the office and he is not happy about that.
But bigger changes of strategy could soon happen. The front office continued to talk about the use of the openers and several times already the discussions have become serious. When Ty Blach was recalled for the last round at the Dodgers, the Giants seriously considered starting Blach against left-wing training that he had always dominated and getting Samardzija out of the paddock.
The Giants have not gone that far yet, but they continue to evaluate upcoming rounds to seize the opportunity to try something different. On Friday, Bochy said the concept is still a consideration.
"I can not tell you if or when we will, but it's still something that has come up," he said at the time.
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After Saturday's defeat, Bochy said Tyler Beede would start Tuesday but would not name a starter for Wednesday's game. Andrew Suarez and Shaun Anderson are options proposed by Triple-A, but it is perhaps time for the front office to finally turn to a concept that Zaidi presented for the first time at the winter meetings.
If that does not work, change something. At the present time, the plan for the first run does not work.
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