Ray delivers six shutout innings in potential last home start with SF Giants

SAN FRANCISCO — If this was Robbie Ray’s last start at Oracle Park as a Giant, then the veteran left-hander left with one resounding final impression.

Ray delivered one of his best starts of the season in the Giants’ 9-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday afternoon, pitching six shutout innings with five strikeouts to trim his ERA to 3.16. With the Aug. 3 trade deadline looming, there’s a very realistic possibility this was the penultimate start of Ray’s tenure in San Francisco.

“I haven’t really thought about it. Like I’ve said before, I’m not on social media, so I don’t really see things going on,” Ray said. “I’m just trying to go out there and give my team a chance to win every time. So, whatever happens is going to happen. I’ve been through it before, so it’s not going to be a surprise. But right now, I’m just taking things day by day.”

“We’re aware that the record is not very positive,” Rafael Devers said through team interpreter Erwin Higueros, hours after he hit a three-run home run that capped San Francisco’s four-run fourth inning. “As far as adjustments that maybe the front office is going to make, it’s something I don’t think about. It’s something that they’re going to have to do, but we’re just concentrating on what we can control.”

Ray’s outing ended after just 80 pitches, the fewest he’s thrown in a start this season. Manager Tony Vitello said he went to his bullpen early due to the score, which was 9-0 when Tristan Beck entered for the seventh. Beck is likely to be optioned when the Giants recall rookie left-hander Carson Whisenhunt for Sunday’s start, so the blowout was an opportunity to get Beck some work before returning to Sacramento.

Ray received several assists from right fielder Jung Hoo Lee, who robbed a double by making a leaping catch in the fourth, then threw out a runner attempting to go from first to third in the sixth with a 92.3 mph dart. Along with the defense, Lee capped off a five-run third inning with a three-run homer, his sixth of the season and first since June 23.

Lee was pulled from the game after being hit by a pitch in the bottom of the seventh, but Vitello said he was going to pull Lee anyway with the score being so lopsided.

“He’s been great in right field all year,” Ray said. “It’s no surprise. He’s worked really hard on that position. He’s out there all the time taking balls off the wall. How many times this year has he stopped a guy from going to second because he played it right off the wall? He definitely cares and he’s definitely put in the work.”

Devers continued to swing a hot bat, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs and hitting his team-leading 22nd home run. Devers sputtered out of the gate, but since May, he’s hitting .268 with 20 home runs and a .922 OPS.

“I think it’s a reflection of the adjustments I’ve made, the work that I’ve been doing in the cage,” Devers said. “I think that during the first half of the season, I was pushing myself a little bit. Now, I feel a little bit more comfortable, especially because of that extra work that I’ve been doing.”

Second baseman Luis Arraez, who is also expected to be traded, continued boosting his value by getting two hits, scoring twice and getting an RBI.

The Giants put up five runs in the bottom of the third, scoring their first two runs on RBI singles by Devers and Casey Schmitt. Then Lee delivered his homer that had just enough juice to land in the right-field arcade.

Following their five runs in the third, the Giants’ offense piled on four more in the fourth in Arraez’s RBI single and Devers’ opposite-field blast.

Given a nine-run cushion, Ray attacked the strike zone, held the Angels scoreless and picked up his 23rd win as a Giant. As the deadline approaches, the victory on Saturday could possibly be his last.

“He’s a really good leader as far as giving guys advice. It’s not real showy; it’s usually kind of under the radar. He’s been good to me with that stuff,” said manager Tony Vitello said of Ray. “Most of his outings are pretty similar, kind of the label of consistency. So, I would say what he did on the mound up into this point this year and his whole time wearing a Giants uniform is reminiscent of today. So, I think it’s all special.”

Up next

Whisenhunt will be recalled from Triple-A Sacramento and start the Giants’ series finale against the Angels’ José Soriano (8-6, 3.43 ERA). Unlike his first two outings, Whisenhunt’s start against Los Angeles will not be a one-and-done. With fellow rookie Trevor McDonald landing on the injured list, Whisenhunt will take his spot in the rotation.