San Francisco Giants look to rebound after rout by Diamondbacks

Apr 20, 2024, 4:46 AM | Updated: 8:28 am

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 19: Thairo Estrada #39 of the San Francisco Giants tags out Ketel Marte #4 of the Arizona Diamondbacks at second base in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park on April 19, 2024 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

BY FIELD LEVEL MEDIA

Sactown Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks enter the third game of a four-game series Saturday at the San Francisco Giants coming off left-hander Jordan Montgomery’s effective first start for the club and 22 hits that tied a franchise record in Friday’s 17-1 victory.

After falling to Montgomery, a member of the Texas Rangers’ World Series championship team last year, the Giants will face Arizona’s two right-handed stalwarts in the rotation — Zac Gallen (3-0, 1.64 ERA) on Saturday and Merrill Kelly (2-0, 2.19) on Sunday.

Montgomery, who struggled in two starts with Triple-A Reno before joining Arizona on Friday, allowed one run and four hits in six innings against the Giants.

He struck out three and did not issue a walk.

Montgomery signed late as a free agent, after spring training, and allowed nine runs in 7 2/3 innings in his two tune-up starts with Reno.

“I’m excited to finally be activated,” Montgomery said. “I can sit on the bench with the guys tomorrow (Saturday) and start vibing a little bit with them.”

San Francisco left-hander Kyle Harrison (2-1, 4.70 ERA) will start Saturday against Gallen, who is 4-4 with a 4.13 ERA in 13 career starts against the Giants.

Gallen has 76 strikeouts and 24 walks with 62 hits allowed in 72 innings in those appearances.

Harrison, who has 11 career starts in his two years at the major league level, will make his first outing against the Diamondbacks. He will try to tame an Arizona lineup that pounded 2023 National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell with nine hits and five runs in 4 2/3 innings on Friday.

Snell, who signed as a free agent from the San Diego Padres at the end of spring training, is now 0-3 with an 11.57 ERA.

“Looking for him to improve his command and get a better feel for his pitches,” San Francisco manager Bob Melvin said. “He hasn’t got there at this point the way he’d like to. You can understand why (with his late signing). It’s rare to see him get hit around a little bit.”

Gallen is coming off a win Sunday in which he limited the St. Louis Cardinals to four hits in six scoreless innings. He struck out seven and walked two.

“His command is just crazy,” said Arizona catcher Tucker Barnhart, who is in his 11th season. “It makes our job easy in terms of receiving the ball. Obviously, I’ve been around a lot of guys, and he’s up there in terms of the fun that guys are to catch.”

Gallen, who finished third in the NL Cy Young voting last season, said he goes to the mound looking “not for perfection, but just for excellence.”

“I know what it feels like and what it takes,” he added.

San Francisco slugger Jorge Soler, who hit 36 home runs for the Miami Marlins last season, hit the Giants’ first home run at Oracle Park this season with a solo shot in Friday’s game. He has four homers for the year.

The Giants have not featured a player with at least 30 home runs in a season since 2004, when Barry Bonds hit 45.