Ray delivers gem vs. Padres in likely last start with SF Giants

SAN DIEGO — There’s no sugarcoating the reality: Robbie Ray’s start on Thursday evening against the San Diego Padres was likely his final start as a Giant.

Ray will not make another start between now and Monday’s trade deadline. When the dust settles, the 34-year-old veteran should be representing his sixth different major-league team. If this is, as expected, the end of his time in San Francisco, there are worse ways to go out.

This start, one that paved the way for a 4-1 win over the Padres, encapsulated his evolution as a pitcher. He threw his ol’ reliable, the four-seamer, more than any other pitch. But he also mixed in his sinker, a pitch he has made prominent in his arsenal. There was also his changeup, the pitch he dusted off last year following years of dormancy.

There was no shortage of risk in starting Ray with the deadline within arm’s reach, but the lefty provided one final showcase to the rest of the league by tossing six innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts. He trimmed his season ERA to 3.08 and ended the night with his 24th victory as a Giant. In all likelihood, it will be his last.

Ray earned the win thanks in large part to the contributions from his batterymate Daniel Susac, who hit a two-run home run and drove in another run with a sacrifice fly. Susac didn’t homer in his first 44 career games in the majors, but the rookie has now hit three home runs in his last two games.

Following Ray’s departure, Caleb Kilian, Dylan Smith and Erik Miller each tossed a scoreless inning to secure the win.

Rafael Devers gave the Giants (47-62) a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but if not for two-time Platinum Glove Award winner Fernando Tatis Jr., Devers would’ve had his 23rd home run of the season. Devers hit a towering 399-foot blast that looked like it was going to clear the fences, but Tatis scaled the right-center field wall to take one away.

An inning later, Susac hit a ball that only a fan could catch. The Padres’ JP Sears threw a four-seam fastball that caught way too much plate, and Susac blasted the heater to the second deck of the Western Metal Supply Co. building for a two-run shot.