{"id":7274,"date":"2026-08-20T06:09:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T06:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7274"},"modified":"2026-08-20T06:09:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T06:09:14","slug":"wilkinsons-impressive-debut-houser-and-smiths-strong-outings-lead-way-in-sf-giants-narrow-win-over-guardians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7274","title":{"rendered":"Wilkinson’s impressive debut, Houser and Smith’s strong outings lead way in SF Giants’ narrow win over Guardians"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Matt Wilkinson\u2019s velocity, or lack thereof, isn\u2019t what got him to the majors, nor will it be the attribute that keeps him here. Wilkinson\u2019s four-seam fastball barely touches 90 mph, an abnormality in the age of velocity. Still, he\u2019s climbed through the minors by leaning into command and deception.<\/p>\n

Read more Harry and Meghan\u2019s unpopularity in the UK isn\u2019t stopping their move back<\/a><\/p>\n

On Wednesday night at Progressive Field, \u201cTugboat\u201d showed how his unique style of pitching could play at the major-league level, tossing two scoreless innings against his former organization as the Giants\u00a0squeaked out a 1-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou guys asked about the road trip. [Rafael Devers] played for Boston. At this point, there\u2019s so many transactions, there\u2019s always that stuff going on. When the game starts, it\u2019s just baseball,\u201d Giants manager Tony Vitello told reporters in Cleveland. \u201cAt the same time, it is the team (Wilkinson) came up with and the team he came from and we\u2019re on the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was kind of an undefined start for him; we just told him to worry about the first inning. He handled it perfectly, and he did it against a really good lineup.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilkinson, acquired when the Giants traded Patrick Bailey to Cleveland in May, almost exclusively relied on his four-seam fastball. Of the 25 pitches that Wilkinson threw, 18 of them were four-seamers. Wilkinson didn\u2019t light up the radar gun by any means, only touching 91 mph once (no rounding up), but he generated outs by nibbling around the edges.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor every team this late in the year, you\u2019re looking for something to separate one day from the next. For us, we\u2019re looking for positive vibes,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cWe haven\u2019t created enough on our own, but at the same time, when you can get it from maybe something external or something new and refreshing, it\u2019s helpful. That was very much all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the trade, obviously yeah, it was definitely different,\u201d Wilkinson told reporters in Cleveland. \u201cThe mindset flipped to Oracle [Park], but it was kind of cool story that I do get to have my debut here, especially after three years with them. Grateful that it was here, and I\u2019m excited to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 23-year-old Wilkinson served as the opener for Adrian Houser, who continued impressing by pitching five-plus scoreless innings of bulk relief beginning in the third inning. Following Houser, Dylan Smith recorded a gutsy two-inning save. The final batter that Smith retired, coincidentally enough, was Bailey, who watched a four-seam fastball go by for strike three to end the game.<\/p>\n

Read more Valkyries instant analysis: Lynx end GSV win streak, show why they\u2019re No. 1 team in WNBA<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u201cA lot of quirky things happen at the start of the year and derailed him a little bit,\u201d Vitello said of Houser, who touched 98 mph with his four-seam fastball. \u201cHe\u2019s taken ownership and got himself back on the train tracks. I think the train\u2019s moving pretty good down the tracks, and maybe so much that tonight was the best night. I think there was a little bit more determination and a little bit more attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given Carson Whisenhunt\u2019s extended struggles, it will be interesting to see whether the Giants explore moving Whisenhunt to the bullpen and opening up an avenue for Wilkinson and Houser to start.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Willy Adames returned to the starting lineup after missing the last week due to a mild low back strain, going 3-for-4 in his return. Adames also committed an error on a routine grounder in the bottom of the seventh that could\u2019ve spelled disaster, but Houser got out of the inning unscathed.<\/p>\n

The Giants (52-74) scored the game\u2019s first \u2014 and only \u2014 run in the top of the fourth on a run-scoring infield single from rookie outfielder Victor Bericoto. After generating a run in the top half of the inning, Bericoto saved at least one run from scoring in the bottom half of the inning with an inning-ending diving catch.<\/p>\n

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Cleveland had an opportunity to score the tying run in the bottom of the eighth when Houser walked leadoff hitter Steven Kwan of Fremont, prompting Vitello to summon Smith out of the bullpen. Kwan advanced to second on a wild pitch, but Smith maintained the Giants\u2019 1-0 lead by striking out all three batters he faced in the eighth, then shutting the door in the ninth.<\/p>\n

Up next<\/strong><\/p>\n

Landen Roupp (7-12, 4.31 ERA) will take the mound for the series finale Thursday as the Giants attempt to win their first series since the trade deadline.<\/p>\n

Read more Peninsula paraglider rescued after crashing into cliff<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Matt Wilkinson tossed two scoreless innings as an opener and heavily leaned on his low-90s four-seam fastball<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nWilkinson’s impressive debut, Houser and Smith’s strong outings lead way in SF Giants’ narrow win over Guardians - 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=7274\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wilkinson’s impressive debut, Houser and Smith’s strong outings lead way in SF Giants’ narrow win over Guardians - 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