Webb delivers on the mound, at the plate as Giants take series from Marlins

After Logan Webb threw his 107th and final pitch of the day — inducing an inning-ending double play in the seventh — he slapped the back of catcher Curt Casali as they headed for the dugout.

Webb had just tied a career high with eight strikeouts. And Casali, the Giants backup catcher, had just backstopped another outing where his starting pitcher kept the opposing team off the scoreboard.

And for the Giants, it was enough to secure a misty, 4-3 win over the Marlins Sunday to claim three of four in the home weekend series.

This story has been updated with quotes and post-game material from the Giants clubhouse at Oracle Park.

In seven innings, Webb (W, 1-1, 4.03 ERA) held the Marlins to three hits, didn’t allow a batter to reach third, and racked up three double-plays. And Webb helped his own cause in the second inning, ripping a Paul Campbell (L, 0-1, 8.22 ERA) fastball into Triples Alley for his first career extra-base hit, driving in his the first two runs of his big-league career and giving the Giants a 3-0 lead.

When he got to third, Webb said he yelled, “something and then yeah”:

“Now I know why hitters like hitting so much. When you hit it, it feels cool. That was a lot of fun. I was definitely a little tired after I got to third.”

However, both Webb and Manager Gabe Kapler agreed that the 24-year-old righty, in his third season in the big leagues, is just scratching the surface of his potential. Kapler called Sunday’s outing an idea of where the floor is for Webb:

“The outing was good and a step in the right direction. I think there’s another gear and step for Logan when he gets ahead and stays ahead (in the count) throughout the game.”

Though he only issued three walks, Webb said he thought his command could’ve been better:

“I’m still not where I want to be, honestly. A couple of the at bats were a little sloppy. I hate four-pitch walks. Not a big fan of that. But I can take a lot of positives, keep working on getting there.”

The Giants tacked on one more run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Belt, knocking in Mike Yastrzemski, who doubled to lead off the inning.

Casali’s shutout-catching streak ended at five games after Webb departed, when Jesus Aguilar hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Matt Wisler to cut the Giants lead in half. Tyler Rogers allowed one more run in the ninth as the Marlins had the tying run on second with two outs, but he got Jazz Chisolm Jr. to ground out to second for the save.

Casali was disappointed the streak ended, but was proud that the work he’s put in scouting opposing teams is showing up on the scoreboard and said he was “kinda glad” the anxiety is gone:

“It’s special when we’re winning. The streak is great, but the fact that we’re 14-8 is a great start. I’m proud of anything I can contribute to that start.”

After Webb caught his fifth straight shutout two days ago, Webb said he received direct messages and mentions on Twitter reading, “You better not ‘f’ this up”:

“I was a little nervous, gotta make sure I get this guy some zeroes.”

Notes

Jason Vossler, who had his first big league at-bat on Saturday, recorded his first-career hit with a bloop single in the fifth inning. … Vossler replaced third baseman Wilmer Flores, who was feeling under the weather, in the third inning. … Kapler said after the game that Flores needed an IV, and added that Mike Yastrzemski is dealing with oblique tightness. … Light rain during the first several innings delayed the game slightly, as the grounds crew spent extra time ensuring the infield was ready for play. … Attendance was 7,572 at Oracle Park.

Up Next

The Giants welcome the Rockies for the first of a three-game series on Monday. Anthony DeSclafani (1-0, 2.14 ERA) will pitch for the Giants against Austin Gomber (1-2, 3.38 ERA) for the Rockies.