SF Giants ace Logan Webb could use some run support

Sep 1, 2023, 9:03 AM | Updated: 9:49 am

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 19: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants prepares to pitch during t...

(Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings Beat Writer

If you were to only look at Logan Webb’s win-loss record, you would assume that the San Francisco Giants right-hander was in the midst of a down season.

As the calendar turns to September, the Rocklin native holds a lackluster 9-11 record over 28 starts this season. Although the win-loss record might tell one story, the rest of Webb’s numbers tell an entirely different tale.

The Giants’ 4-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday afternoon served as a microcosm of Webb’s 2023 campaign.

Webb’s final line: 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 6 K

San Francisco’s offense: 1 R, 4 H, .133 BA

Webb, who posted his 19th quality start of the season–only trailing New York Yankees ace and Cy Young candidate Gerrit Cole (20) for the most in Major League Baseball–was handed a loss after holding the Reds to two runs over six innings of work.

"That’s just part of baseball."

Logan Webb addresses the Giants’ lack of run support pic.twitter.com/stc0dDTynQ

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 30, 2023

Lack of run support isn’t new to Webb, who has received two or fewer runs of support in 18 of his 28 starts and ranks last in the Majors with a 3.14 run support average this year per Major League Baseball (among qualified starters).

While San Francisco’s offense has let its ace down thus far into the season, you won’t hear Webb complain.

“That’s just part of baseball,” Webb said following Wednesday’s loss. “As a pitcher, if it’s a 0-0 game, you’ve got to keep it at 0-0. It’s more my fault than anything. I was lucky enough to get to hit for a year and a half. It’s not easy. There’s no faulting those guys. Those guys are going out there and trying to do their best. Knowing it’s a 0-0 game, I’ve just got to do better.”

Webb expects more from himself–as any true competitor would in these losses that, in most cases, a mere two to three runs have determined, but it’s unfair that the righty has an ‘L’ posted next to his name following each quality start.

As previously mentioned in this piece, Webb receives 3.14 runs per start from the San Francisco offense. The MLB average for runs per game is 4.6 in 2023.

To put into perspective just how awful the Giants’ offense has been with Webb on the mound, you have to look at the other team in the Bay Area–the MLB-worst Oakland Athletics.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 12: Oakland Athletics' Ryan Noda #49 reacts after swinging and missing on a pitch by Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zach Eflin #24 in the fifth inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, June 12, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)

(Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)

The 39-95 A’s currently score the least amount of runs per game in Major League Baseball at 3.60 runs per contest.

That’s right. The San Francisco Giants’ offense scores fewer runs per Logan Webb start (3.14) than the 39-win Oakland Athletics (3.60) push across on a nightly basis. For a postseason-hopeful team like the Giants, that’s a problem.

“Because he’s kind of the leader of our staff in a lot of ways and a guy that we’re going to be depending on, we really do want to score some runs for him,” San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said of the lack of run support for Webb following Wednesday’s one-run effort.

“Obviously, that doesn’t come when you press for it and try harder for it. We’ll get him ready for the next time out and try to score some more runs for him then. If he just continues to throw up a lot of zeros, I think he’ll get rewarded for it long term.”

Webb’s run support of 3.14 compared to his Giants teammate, All-Star right-hander Alex Cobb (4.4 runs), is head-scratching, to say the least.

As we enter the final month of the regular season, it’s hard to argue against the notion that Webb has pitched like an ace in 2023. While his win-loss record features a sub-.500 record, the rest of his numbers tell a more accurate portrayal of his 2023 season.

Logan Webb’s National League & MLB Ranks

Quality Starts: 19 (1st in NL, 2nd in MLB)
K/BB ratio: 6.26 (1st in NL, 3rd in MLB)
BB/9: 1.35 (1st in NL, 3rd in MLB)
WAR (Pitchers): 4 (2nd in NL, 5th in MLB)
WHIP: 1.10 (5th in NL, 11th in MLB)
ERA: 3.49 (7th in NL, 17th in MLB)
Strikeouts: 169 (9th in NL, 15th in MLB)

Webb holds an 8-2 record when the Giants score at least three runs during a start this season and a 1-9 record when San Francisco scores two or fewer runs.

As the playoff push continues, the Giants can’t continue wasting quality starts as the National League Wild Card race heats up. Webb must start getting the run support he desperately needs, especially during the season’s closing weeks.

Don’t let the win-loss record fool you. Logan Webb is pitching like an ace, while his offense has posted numbers that even the Oakland A’s–the owners of Major League Baseball’s worst offense–have out-performed.