8/22 Gamethread: Giants @ Phillies

The time has come at last. The San Francisco Giants are facing the Philadelphia Phillies which, based on how things have gone for both teams lately, is not good news.

But Kyle Harrison is debuting, just over three years after the Giants drafted him in the third round and went massively overslot to keep the De La Salle star from heading to UCLA.

After quite literally being the best strikeout pitcher in the Minor Leagues over the last two years, Harrison will make his MLB debut just a few weeks after turning 22. It’s the most hyped pitcher prospect to debut for the Giants since Madison Bumgarner, and the best strikeout artist to debut for the Giants since Tim Lincecum. As a reminder to temper expectations: if Harrison has a career that even sniffs that of what Bumgarner and Lincecum had, it will be a massive win for him and for the Giants.

Don’t expect Harrison to pitch for super long. He hasn’t been stretched out much this, due to a rather large walk issue that has kept his outings short, and an organizational philosophy to be very careful on arms in the farm. In his three games with AAA Sacramento since returning from the Injured List, Harrison has thrown two innings and 42 pitches; 3.1 innings and 38 pitches; and four innings and 60 pitches. He’s pitched five innings just once this year, though his future certainly remains that of an honest-to-goodness starter.

For the Phillies it’s righty Taijuan Walker, a big offseason signing who has been so-so in his debut Philly season. In 24 starts, the 11-year veteran is 13-5 with a 4.03 ERA, a 4.68 FIP, and 106 strikeouts to 55 walks in 131.2 innings.

Enjoy the game, Giants fans. Enjoy the Kyle Harrison!!

Game #126

Who: San Francisco Giants (65-60) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (68-57)

Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

When: 3:40 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area (available on fuboTV)

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM