SF Giants send reliever with 0.49 ERA to Triple-A Sacramento
A day after earning his first major league save, Giants reliever Caleb Baragar earned a trip to Triple-A Sacramento.
Manager Gabe Kapler announced the lefty was optioned to Triple-A following Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Washington Nationals after Barager preserved a 2-1 victory that helped the Giants improve to 40-24.
“We have several lefties in the (bullpen), (Conner) Menez comes to mind, (José) Álvarez and (Jarlín) García and all are pitching well for us,” Kapler said. “They’re all available to give us multiple innings with this long stretch of games. There’s not many off days in the immediate future and being on the last game of a long road trip, we felt this was the right move for the club.”
Baragar, who has a 0.49 ERA in 22 games this season, benefitted from a stunning base running gaffe from Nationals outfielder Victor Robles who ran his way into an out to help the southpaw pick up a save on Saturday.
After the Giants took a 2-0 lead in the top of the eighth inning of Game 2, Baragar entered and immediately surrendered an RBI double to Starlin Castro. The lefty then hit Robles with a two-strike pitch, but picked up a pair of outs on a flyball to center fielder Austin Slater as Robles attempted to tag up from first base and move into scoring position.
Robles slid past the second base bag before being tagged out in a rundown, giving Baragar the chance to face Nationals shortstop Trea Turner with two outs instead of one. The second-year Giants lefty was able to induce a pop-up that ended the game and prevented star slugger Juan Soto from coming to the plate.
Kapler said the Giants’ decision to option Baragar wasn’t an easy one, particularly considering he’s only allowed one earned run in his last 38 appearances dating back to last season.
“It’s understanding the good work that he’s done for us and letting us know that he’s a big part of our team,” Kapler said. “We expect him to be on our roster, making contributions at some point in the near future.”
Why send Baragar out?
The Giants now have several relievers in their bullpen without minor league options, including their most recent addition, Jimmie Sherfy. With Menez, who tossed a pair of scoreless innings to open Game 2 of the doubleheader, providing quality length in multi-inning stints and rookie Sammy Long expected to take down four-plus innings at some point in the coming days, Baragar wasn’t needed as much as his fellow southpaws in the coming days.
“Menez is at his best as a strike-thrower,” Kapler said. “When he’s at his best, he’s attacking the zone, filling the strike zone. He hasn’t always been able to do that consistently. Since he’s been back with us, that’s been his calling card. He’s thrown his slider for a strike consistently and that has led to his success.”
Despite preventing runs well, Baragar has struggled to limit base runners as he owns a 1.349 WHIP this season, which is up from the 0.985 mark he posted as a rookie in 2020.