{"id":4063,"date":"2026-07-08T19:11:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T19:11:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4063"},"modified":"2026-07-08T19:11:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T19:11:31","slug":"sf-giants-eye-pitching-moves-before-all-star-break-arraez-compared-to-messi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4063","title":{"rendered":"SF Giants eye pitching moves before All-Star break; Arraez compared to Messi"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 Shortly before sending ace Logan Webb to the mound in Wednesday\u2019s rubber match against the Toronto Blue Jays, Giants manager Tony Vitello addressed other issues with his embattled pitching staff.<\/p>\n

Read more Ex-Redlands deputy police chief was California\u2019s highest city earner in 2025, but didn\u2019t work a day<\/a><\/p>\n

Left-hander Carson Whisenhunt, after toiling the first half of this season at Triple-A Sacramento, will likely start in the upcoming four-game series against Colorado before next week\u2019s All-Star break.<\/p>\n

Matt Gage, meanwhile, is only expected to miss a couple of weeks with a moderate flexor tendon strain rather a season-ending ligament surgery. He received a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister, who successfully repaired 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy\u2019s elbow in 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood news,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cHe\u2019ll get a little bit of work done, then re-evaluate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keaton Winn (elbow strain) is an option to return before the All-Star break or soon thereafter, Vitello added.<\/p>\n

Who Whisenhunt replaces in the rotation is yet to be announced, and his official promotion is not expected until Thursday\u2019s off day. Trevor McDonald allowed 11 hits and eight runs in 2 1\/3 innings in Tuesday night\u2019s 9-3 loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got a competitive spirit you want out of any guy, whether it\u2019s a starter or reliever. But he also has just a different look,\u201d Vitello said of Whisenhunt. \u201cEven though it\u2019s left-handed like Robbie (Ray), it\u2019s a different arsenal, a different look. He\u2019s been trending upward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whisenhunt, a second-round draft pick in 2022, won his lone appearance for the Giants earlier this season, pitching five innings June 17 in a 7-5 win at Atlanta. He lost his two starts upon returning to Sacramento. In five games last season with the Giants, he went 2-1 with a 5.01 ERA.<\/p>\n

Read more More Jewish Americans approve of NYC Mayor Mamdani than Israeli PM Netanyahu: poll<\/a><\/p>\n

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ARRAEZ COMPARED TO MESSI<\/strong><\/p>\n

Luis Arraez\u2019s sensational first half now includes a flattering comparison to Argentina soccer star Lionel Messi.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe sees the game so much quicker and from different angles from others. I mean, it\u2019s a drastic parallel but soccer guys told me that about Messi, is that he sees angles that nobody else sees,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cIf you\u2019re in the dugout and listen to him, it\u2019s kind of the same thing, and out on the field, you guys see some things, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arraez entered Wednesday having hit safely in 10 consecutive games against Toronto dating back to 2022, posting a .489 batting average (22-for-45) with a 1.189 OPS.<\/p>\n

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Joining Arraez at next week\u2019s All-Star Game is Webb, who Vitello expects to get called upon to pitch and noted that it \u201cworks out about as conveniently as it can.\u201d<\/p>\n

VERLANDER TRIBUTE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Justin Verlander, who went 4-11 last year in his lone season with the Giants, has announced he\u2019ll retire after this season, his 21st in the majors. Verlander has been on the Tigers\u2019 injured list due to hip and hamstring injuries after making just one start<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty epic career,\u201d Vitello said of the three-time Cy Young winner and two-time World Series champion. \u201c\u2026 From speaking with our guys, he was just a good leader. He had a good impact on the younger pitchers in particular, but even the older guys. He\u2019s living proof of obviously a physical guy and a good arsenal, but there\u2019s more to the game than just throwing your stuff at a hitter. There\u2019s a lot that comes. into play with the mind and he was as good as most with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Despite algal blooms, Monterey Bay marine mammals hanging in there<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Giants’ pitching staff is expected to welcome Carson Whisenhunt back to the rotation before next week’s All-Star break.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nSF Giants eye pitching moves before All-Star break; Arraez compared to Messi - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4063\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SF Giants eye pitching moves before All-Star break; Arraez compared to Messi - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Giants' pitching staff is expected to welcome Carson Whisenhunt back to the rotation before next week's All-Star break.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4063\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-08T19:11:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4063#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4063\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"SF Giants eye pitching moves before All-Star break; 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