SF Giants phenom Luis Matos in starting lineup vs. Cardinals
The Giants were reluctant to call up red-hot outfielder Luis Matos only to have him cool his heels on the bench.
When Mitch Haniger broke his right forearm Tuesday night when hit by a pitch, the process of promotion was accelerated. Matos was recalled Wednesday along with infielder David Villar and was in the lineup, batting second and playing center field against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Matos, 21, was hitting .398 with seven home runs and 20 RBIs in 24 games with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. He also played 31 games for Double-A Richmond, hitting .304 with three home runs and 16 RBIs.
If the Giants are fortunate, Matos will prove another shot of adrenaline to a team that was given a spark by two other rookies — infielder Casey Schmidt and catcher Patrick Bailey.
Haniger and J.D. Davis were removed from an 11-3 win over the Cardinals Tuesday night after being injured in the third inning. Haniger, hit by a pitch from St. Louis starter John Flaherty, will be out for an extended period of time with a fracture.
The Giants, who are 35-32 and have won 10 of their last 12 road games, look to finish a three-game sweep of St. Louis before taking Thursday off and then heading to Los Angeles for a three-game series against the Dodgers, who are in second place in the National League West.
After a rocky April, the Giants have won 18 of their last 27 games since May 15.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters Wednesday that Haniger’s injury could require surgery but didn’t rule out a return this season.
Before Haniger’s injury, Giants announcer Duane Kuiper sarcastically addressed the possibility of bringing up Matos too early during a regular appearance on KNBR.
“Call him up and let’s sit him on the bench and let’s cool him off,” Kuiper said. “Cause that would be really good for him. If you call him up he’s got to play, and he’s got to play all the time. So he’s right where he belongs, unless there’s an injury that opens up a spot, so he just has to keep doing what he’s doing.”
Schmitt went 1-for-4 Tuesday night, entering the game at third base after Davis was injured. He’s hitting .276 after eye-opening start since being called up May 9. Bailey hit his third home run against the Cardinals and his hitting .323 after going 2-for-5. He’s also provided excellent defense at catcher to the point where Joey Bart was optioned to Sacramento after a recent injury rehab.
Bailey and Schmitt (at shortstop) were both also in Wednesday’s lineup.
According to the Giants’ pregame notes, their last player who was younger than Matos to make his debut was Madison Bumgarner in 2009..
Matos and infielder Villar were both removed from the lineup after the injuries to Davis and Haniger with Sacramento facing Sugar Land in Texas and flew to St. Louis. Villar is also starting against St. Louis at third base.
“I think it’s all right to talk about that silver lining,” Kapler said Tuesday night. “I think Matos has been swinging the bat really well. It’s an exciting moment for this organization.”
Another rookie, right-hander Keaton Winn, had a four-inning save against the Cardinals Tuesday night, giving up one run. He was the first Giants pitcher to record a save in his first big league game.
Unavailable after his initial outing, Winn was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.