Giants notes: Key adjustment leads Chapman to big series vs. Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
PHILADELPHIA — Tyler Fitzgerald finally broke out this week, capping a big series against the Philadelphia Phillies with a solo homer in the ninth inning Thursday. But he wasn’t the only Giants infielder to take advantage of a high-scoring series at Citizens Bank Park.
Matt Chapman hit a two-run homer earlier in Thursday’s loss and picked up three straight multi-hit games for the first time as a Giant. Over four days, Chapman raised his OPS from .687 to .803.
“I was hitting some balls hard (earlier in the season) and not getting any luck. I was taking my walks still, but the biggest thing is being able to find that balance and get a good swing off in the box,” he said. “They pitch everybody tough, obviously, but guys are making good pitches and executing, so being able to take hits and go the other way and then hit the breaking ball for the homer, I think it’s just putting myself in good spots.
“I think I was getting a little bit anxious and going to get the ball a little bit. Literally the only thing I’ve been doing is just trying to stay back behind the baseball and be a little bit more balanced.”
Chapman went seven straight games without a base hit before the series, but he was still finding ways to keep the line moving. He’s walking in 19 percent of his plate appearances — nearly double his previous average in the big leagues — and is tied with five others for the MLB lead in walks.
Put all that together with his usual defense, and Chapman is already up to 0.9 fWAR, which ranks 12th in the National League and second on the team to Jung Hoo Lee (1.3). He’s tracking to repeat his first season in orange and black, when he was fifth in the league in Wins Above Replacement.
Chapman’s blast Thursday didn’t lead to another comeback win, but the vibes were still high in the clubhouse afterward. Music played as the Giants got dressed and prepared to fly back to California after going 4-3 during what will be one of their toughest schedule stretches of the season.
“Coming from New York and taking a series, coming here and winning two out of four, we’re playing good baseball and we’re right there with opportunities to win more,” Chapman said. “It’s not an easy place to win. Last year, we came here and got swept (in) four games. To come out of here and split with them — that’s a really good team — so we should be happy and we’ve got a lot more baseball to be played. But I think we haven’t even hit our full stride yet and we’re playing good ball.”
The Throwback
Landen Roupp is one of just six pitchers to have thrown at least 100 curveballs this season despite having just three starts under his belt. A whopping 56 of them came Monday night, making Roupp the only pitcher to throw more than 40 curves in a game so far.
It’s Roupp’s best pitch and his natural ability to spin it is what drew the Giants to him in the 2021 draft. This isn’t just about volume, though. Roupp has held opposing hitters to a .115 average and is getting whiffs on 56 percent of the swings against his curveball. With his back against the wall Monday, he threw it to strand two runners in scoring position, and then threw five straight to strike out Bryce Harper in the next inning.
“It’s just a confidence pitch for me,” he said. “Knowing I can get a swing-and-miss or a called strike or weak contact off that pitch is kind of what I’m looking for with guys on second and third there with no outs. Yeah, I threw a lot of curveballs (Monday), but I’m happy with it.”
The pregame plan was to throw a lot of curves, and when Roupp and catcher Patrick Bailey saw the swings they were getting, they went even heavier. Roupp became the first MLB pitcher since Rich Hill to throw more than 55 curveballs in a game and set a new high for a Giants pitcher in the pitch tracking era.
“I don’t know if that’s something to be proud of or not,” he said, laughing.
Right now, it’s certainly working. Roupp has a 4.80 ERA through three starts but a 2.62 FIP. If he keeps throwing like this, much better days will be ahead.
Tale of Two Lefties
Mike Yastrzemski and LaMonte Wade Jr. are both set to be free agents for the first time this offseason, and they’re off to very different starts.
Yastrzemski has a 1.005 OPS and has moved to the top of the lineup, replacing Wade, who is hitting .102 with a .489 OPS through 16 games. Wade is healthy and his walk rate is nearly in line with previous seasons, but he’s striking out in 34 percent of his plate appearances. He has never before been at even 24 percent in the big leagues.
The Giants are going to be patient, and they really have no choice. They want to keep Wilmer Flores at DH to keep him fresh and Casey Schmitt’s numbers are just about exactly in line with Wade’s. Top prospect Bryce Eldridge missed the start of the minor league season with wrist soreness, although he’s very close to joining an affiliate, likely Double-A Richmond. He’s still months from being a real option, though.
During the Phillies series, manager Bob Melvin pushed back on any concerns about Wade, saying “he’s going to be fine” and “it’s going to come.” When asked why he’s so confident, Melvin pointed to Wade’s track record. There’s also the fact that he has a .138 batting average on balls in play, about .150 points below his career average.
“He’s a good hitter, he has got a good eye,” Melvin said. “He’s just off to a slow start.”
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