WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Blake Snell walked to a waiting black SUV as 101-degree heat radiated off the pavement. He didn’t want to stop to talk to two reporters who waited for him in the parking lot outside the Sacramento River Cats’ clubhouse Sunday afternoon.
The heat wasn’t the reason.
“Anything I say, it feels like I’m making an excuse,” Snell said. “It’s frustrating.”
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The San Francisco Giants’ rotation is in shambles. The news gets worse. Snell appears unready to ride to the rescue. He couldn’t make it out of the second inning of a Triple-A rehab start at Sutter Health Park, getting pulled after issuing a two-out walk on his 51st pitch, and acknowledged that he is still battling to get physically and mentally past the groin injury that has sent him to the injured list twice amid a highly disappointing first half.
It hasn’t helped Snell to be aware that the Giants are desperate for his return.
“I’ve just been fighting to rush back,” Snell said. “That’s my take. I’m more frustrated with that. And then you don’t get the product of what I should be. It’s just frustrating. I want to go out there and dominate and pitch how I know I can pitch. But it’s more important that I’m out there. So, yeah.
“I haven’t felt like me yet. It’s ‘All right, c’mon, we need you, we need you, we need you.’ It’s not like, ‘Let’s get him right.’ And then I have to deal with it.”
The Giants are understandably impatient. They understood when they signed Snell to a two-year, $62 million contract on March 18 that they weren’t going to receive the kind of dominant, wire-to-wire season that a team typically would expect from a reigning Cy Young Award winner. They knew about Snell’s reputation as a second-half pitcher and how missing nearly all of spring training would impact his ability to compete in April and May.
Now it’s late June and Snell is 0-3 with a 9.51 ERA and minus-1.1 WAR in six starts. He hasn’t completed five innings in any of his starts. But the Giants are not in a position to be picky. Their rotation is down to Logan Webb and converted reliever Jordan Hicks, who acknowledged he was gassed Saturday in St. Louis when he surpassed his major-league high for innings in a season. Kyle Harrison and Keaton Winn are on the IL. The other young pitching depth options expected to graduate this season either haven’t performed well when given the chance (Mason Black) or are on the injury shelf (Landen Roupp). And Alex Cobb’s best-case scenario would be a return in July as he attempts to get past elbow and shoulder setbacks.
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The Giants are listing their starters as TBA for all three games against the Chicago Cubs when they open a homestand Monday. Snell made it clear he won’t be ready to contribute by the end of the week.
“I’m going to do more rehab starts,” Snell said. “I have to. I got to 50 pitches but I need to get in sync, repeat pitches, repeat delivery, practice fielding — there’s a lot I have to do still.”
Snell gave up a run on a walk and a double in the first inning and would’ve thrown more pitches if second baseman Marco Luciano hadn’t started an unorthodox 4-5-6-4 double play. But the pitches piled up for Snell in the second inning. He retired just two of six batters while issuing two walks. He tried to use the new Triple-A challenge system to his benefit when he appealed a 3-2 pitch to Round Rock right fielder (and former Giants farmhand) Sandro Fabian. But the automated system showed that the ball missed clipping the zone by millimeters.
“I’m more impressed with how (the umpire) called, like, 0.5 (inches) off a ball,” Snell said. “I wasn’t going to challenge anything, but my fastball command was not where I want it. I’m just not able to trust it.”
Snell’s fastball topped out at 95 mph, but he only took so many positives out of that.
“I was absolutely shocked by it,” Snell said. “I don’t know how. I have no idea (because) I was not using my legs. I couldn’t believe it.
“If I’m 90, 91, I’ll be happy. The curveball was, like, humpy, the changeup, some of them were high verts and then at the end there I finally got in front of them and had some good ones. Slider was just spinning. I’ll go home and think about it and reflect.
“But yeah. I’m still a ways away. It’s just not good. For where I want to be? No.
“And then fastball command, I wasn’t arm-side missing so that’s good. I was trying to get in the zone but still (had) inside misses and then down. But that’s what you get when you’re all arm and not synced up. It’s good to get out there. That’s the positive. I’m out there, I’m pitching. But I’ve got to get synced up and repeat the delivery and start to really take strides. When I do that then I’ll be happier.
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“Today I was not using my legs, not synced up. Didn’t feel good coming into this.”
“This has been the most frustrating. I haven’t felt like myself.”
It was a rare double-rehab feature at Sutter Health Park as another recent Cy Young Award winner, Robbie Ray, made his first Triple-A appearance while ramping up from Tommy John surgery. Ray’s fastball sat at 93 mph as he threw 45 pitches in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out two and issued one walk, and the only hit he allowed was scored a double that second baseman Marco Luciano lost in the sun.
TOMORROW: Sutter Health Park is turning orange for a triple rehab assignment! 🔥 Catch Blake Snell, Robbie Ray, and LaMonte Wade Jr in Sactown tomorrow at 1:05pm.
tickets: https://t.co/SHwScs1Sgj pic.twitter.com/loToaM9p4d
— Sacramento River Cats (@RiverCats) June 23, 2024
Unlike Snell, Ray said he hasn’t felt rushed by the organization.
But is it difficult to focus on checking boxes in his rehab protocols while knowing the team has such an acute need in the rotation right now?
“The team is really adamant about not rushing me, which I am very thankful for, because there is a need right now in the rotation,” Ray said. “For me, it’s just focusing on what I can do to get better. For me right now it’s going out every fifth day and building up pitches and innings.”
Ray called Sunday’s start a big step because he got to test his stamina in demanding conditions — “That’s the most I’ve thrown,” he said — against hitters including Matt Duffy who have big-league service time. He also appreciated being able to pitch in front of fans again.
“Everything for me plays off fastball command so that’s been my main focus through this rehab process,” Ray said. “It’s no secret that I throw a lot of fastballs. Guys know it’s coming. I feel I’ve done a good job in this process getting to where I want to be in terms of location and command. For me, everything else plays off that.
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“Getting ahead of guys, I felt I had the stuff to put them away pretty easily. So that was the main focus today — throw a lot of strikes.”
Ray wasn’t sure when he would make his next rehab start, but if he recovers well, he’s likely to pitch for Low-A San Jose toward the end of the week. He’s likely to bounce between San Jose and Sacramento — whoever happens to be home — as he continues to build his pitch count. Without any hiccups, he could make his Giants debut shortly after the All-Star break next month.
“I feel I’m hitting the milestones,” Ray said. “It’s obviously a long process, but I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
LaMonte Wade Jr. (strained hamstring) completed the Giants’ rehab trifecta while starting at designated hitter and batting leadoff. He lined out, drew three walks and scored twice but didn’t have to bust it on the basepaths.
He’s also still soaking in Thursday’s experience at Rickwood Field — including the fact that the Hall of Fame requested and received his San Francisco Sea Lions jersey after he presented the lineup card and participated in pregame ceremonies that saluted the Negro Leagues.
“My dad called me and he talked about how that was really cool,” Wade said. “It still hasn’t really set in yet but that was an amazing experience, the Rickwood game. I think that’s something that has to be done every year for sure. It was a great event. It definitely means a lot to know my jersey will be in the Hall of Fame.”
Wade and St. Louis coach Willie McGee stood on either side of Bill Greason, the 99-year-old former Negro Leagues star who became the first Black pitcher to wear a Cardinals uniform, as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Wade remained disappointed that he wasn’t able to play in the game but said it was overwhelming to factor so prominently in the ceremonies.
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“That was kind of a surprise for me,” said Wade, who also appreciated that the Giants paid the way for every minor-leaguer with African American heritage to take leave from their clubs and travel to Birmingham, Ala., to watch the game. “That whole event was done the right way. Definitely got a lot of pictures taken. And definitely have a lot of memories for sure.”
Wade wasn’t sure how many rehab games he would require but he knows he won’t be activated Monday.
“I felt fine, just a little nervous, first day and didn’t want to do anything so crazy,” Wade said. “It was just getting back in the box and seeing pitches and, honestly, just getting through the day. So it was a good day.”
When Luciano made his first start as a second baseman last week, club officials said it was because they wanted Nick Ahmed to start at shortstop while with the River Cats on a rehab assignment. But Ahmed is back in the big leagues and Luciano is still getting reps at second base. Utilityman Tyler Fitzgerald started at shortstop across from Luciano on Sunday.
It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if the Giants move Luciano off shortstop — his bat was always going to be what carried him to the big leagues and made him a potential impact player — but the process of figuring out his ultimate major-league position is a fascinating one. And it’ll be worth watching all season.
Triple-A observers have been blown away by right-hander Hayden Birdsong, who has struck out 14 in nine innings over two starts since being promoted from Double-A Richmond. But Birdsong is not on the 40-man roster. Neither is left-hander Carson Whisenhunt or right-hander Carson Seymour. And the Giants will have to be judicious about adding players to the roster when they’ll already be caught in a squeeze when it comes time to activate Ray, Alex Cobb, Tristan Beck and potentially right-hander Austin Warren as well.
What the Giants need is veteran pitching depth that they could turn and burn if needed. One potential source is a familiar one: right-hander Johnny Cueto, who pitched for the Texas Rangers’ Triple-A Round Rock club on Wednesday at Sacramento and held the River Cats to one run on two hits with no walks in six innings. Cueto has a 4.75 ERA in seven starts for Round Rock but has thrown strikes consistently. He has an opt-out on July 1.
At the River Cats game, here’s Johnny Cueto(!) striking out Marco Luciano pic.twitter.com/0bYyrb2cyn
— Steve Berman (@BASportsGuy) June 19, 2024
(Top photo of Blake Snell: John Hefti / USA Today)