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The Giants have figured out the best way to handle their starting pitching at this very moment and that’s by outscoring it. In order to do that, they’ve planned to recall Mac Williamson before tomorrow’s game.
Mac Williamson will join the team in Chicago, per a source, returning from a stint on the DL with a concussion. It was not immediately clear what the Giants would do to open a roster spot.
Wrigley Field has favors power hitters and Cubs pitching hasn’t been shy about giving up home runs, so right away, this seems like a really good idea. And after the Chicago trip, it’s on to Coors Field, where the Rockies have been outscored 105-78, which isn’t to suggest that the Giants will have an easy time outscoring the Rockies; in fact, they’ll need to score dozens of runs per game because the Rockies will be out for blood/to erase that differential.
We’re all hoping Mac picks up where he left off — he’s also been blazing hot in his rehab assignment, hitting 2 home runs in 5 games — but the main thing we should all be keeping an eye on involves how they get him onto the roster. The Giants weren’t shy about phantom DL’ing Hunter Pence after a 22:2 K:BB ratio to open the season, but who gets that treatment? And are the Giants willing to go with only 12 pitchers?
In Andrew Baggarly’s mailbag post on The Athletic this morning, he theorizes:
They can add another perhaps by putting Austin Jackson on the DL as a “maintenance assignment” to rest his legs at some point.
That’s assuming they’re unwilling to budge on having 13 pitchers. The good news is, it won’t matter how many pitchers they carry, because they won’t be able to give up more runs than the runs Mac Williamson’s return will provide.
Right? Please? This is what will happen...? That’s how baseball works?