After posting a sub-500-wall record in his first season under manager Bob Melvin 2024, San Francisco Giants entered this campaign that was pressed to start on a positive note away from Oracle Park.
With his 3-1 interleague victory at Houston Astros on Tuesday, Giants (4-1) guaranteed that they will go into their home opener this weekend against Seattle Mariners with a winning record.
San Francisco secured its second road series by stifling Astros and followed a victory in the road series against Cincinnati Reds last weekend by claiming its fourth series in a row in Houston.
Giants will run the sweep with three games on Wednesday afternoon.
“Our traffic record (38-43) was not very good last year, and you know we will start on the road,” Melvin said. “It is quite important with the spring that we had to get a good start. In addition, it is huge to win a series in Cincinnati, and now we have taken the first two here. Now it’s about trying to get greedy (Wednesday).”
Right-wing lands Roupp (1-2, 3.58 ERA 2024) will make their season debut for Giants in the series finale on Wednesday.
Roupp broke camps with the club for a second year in a row, which made 23 performances (four starts) as a beginner while publishing 47 strikes in 50 1/3 rounds. He went 1-2 with a 3.86 era and 14 strikes in 18 2/3 rounds after joining the rotation on September 10.
Roupp will make its first career look on Astros. He is 1-0 with one 0.00 era over five performances (one start) against the American League.
The left-hander Framber Valdez (1-0, 0.00 era) has the start assignment on Wednesday when Astros tries to prevent the series’ sweep.
Valdez worked seven pointless innings against New York Mets on the opening day, which allowed four hits and two walks with four strikes in a 3-1 victory. He joined Dallas Keuchel (2015 and 2017) as the only jugs in club history that worked seven speechless innings while handing over four or fewer hits on the opening day.
Valdez surpassed Keuchel for the most opening day begins by a Sydpaw in club history with his fourth.
Valdez is 1-2 with a 5.40 era over three career starts against Giants. He took a road loss of 5-3 on June 12, 2024, after allowing five runs on eight hits and a walk over four rounds.
Astros continued his offensive struggle to open the season and recorded an extra base here while he was based in three doubles and ended up only 0-for-2 with runners in points mode on Tuesday. Astros has nine runs in the first five matches in his six-game home.
Exclusively of Jose Altuve, who hammered on Tuesday and has met safely in all five games, Astros gets some production up and down on its range. Seven of their opening day starts strike below .200, with Slugger Yordan Alvarez who goes 1-for-16 with six strikes.
“It’s just about being patience and letting these good hitters come through sometime,” said Astros -Manager Joe Espada. “Which they will do.”
-Field level media
