SF Giants shut down Robbie Ray after ‘actually good’ first full season again from surgical procedure – The Press Democrat

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants’ slim postseason hopes had been extinguished Tuesday night time, and inside hours of their elimination turning into official started to shift plans accordingly.

Robbie Ray, who was scheduled to start out Wednesday’s collection finale in opposition to the Cardinals, was scratched shortly after the clubhouse doorways closed to reporters and changed with lengthy reliever J.T. Brubaker. Standing in entrance of his locker the next afternoon, Ray mirrored on the primary full season below his belt since present process Tommy John surgical procedure.

“Couldn’t actually ask for an entire rather more,” he stated.

After lacking virtually the whole lot of 2023, Ray returned final July and logged 30 innings and this season grew to become one of the sturdy and dependable starters within the majors. On the time of his last begin, Ray ranked among the many league leaders in innings (182 1/3; twelfth) and pitches thrown (3,069; third) whereas ending with a 3.65 ERA, his greatest mark over the course of a season since he gained the Cy Younger Award in 2021.

“I felt actually good about my season,” stated Ray, who was additionally named an All-Star for the second time in his profession. “… I’m proud to have the ability to take the ball once I was requested to, and log that many innings, give our crew an opportunity to win that many instances. Clearly it didn’t work out the best way we wished to, however it is a good workload to construct off of.”

Though the season ended on a bitter notice, posting an 8.13 ERA over his last six begins, Ray didn’t consider fatigue was an element. Throughout the board, the speed on his pitches was larger in September than it was in August.

“Clearly I haven’t been in that scenario shortly, so there was a bit fatigue,” Ray stated. “However in the end felt like I nonetheless had the aptitude of going on the market and giving us an opportunity to win. I by no means felt dangerous, actually in any respect this yr. I felt fairly robust during.”

“That’s who he’s — he’s a bulldog,” supervisor Bob Melvin stated. “He offers every little thing on each pitch. You possibly can hear him. He will get after it on a regular basis, desires to be there for his crew, desires to publish and positively did for us this yr. Nevertheless it makes some sense to provide him this one off.”

The sharp enhance in workload this season made it a simple resolution to place a wrap on Ray’s yr and switch their consideration to 2026.

With Justin Verlander set to be a free agent, Ray is considered one of solely three certain issues in subsequent yr’s rotation, together with Logan Webb and Landen Roupp. Hayden Birdsong, Carson Whisenhunt, Kai-Wei Teng, Trevor McDonald are among the names who will battle for the ultimate two spots, in the event that they aren’t crammed by way of free company or commerce this offseason.

“We’ve received some good younger guys, me and Webby received a veteran presence. If we add somebody within the offseason too, that’d be nice,” Ray stated. “There’s gonna be some guys available on the market who I believe might doubtlessly assist us out.”

When Webb exited Tuesday’s recreation, he was in line for the win and it appeared Ray would nonetheless have a cause to pitch on Wednesday. However the Giants’ bullpen wasn’t in a position to maintain on to an 8-3 lead and misplaced, 9-8, which mixed with the Mets’ win put an excessive amount of daylight between the groups for the third and last wild card spot with 4 video games left to play.

The loss locked in a fourth straight season and not using a profitable file or a postseason look.

Webb stated this yr was “essentially the most irritating” whereas additionally calling the roster “essentially the most gifted crew I’ve been on,” together with the one which gained 107 video games in 2021, the final Giants squad to make the playoffs.

“If there’s one factor about Buster Posey, I don’t assume he’s OK with dropping,” Webb stated. “I don’t assume he’s OK with even being .500. He desires to win. I’m not going to play his job as a result of it’s not my job, however I don’t assume he’s OK with this. I don’t assume there’s lots of people OK with this on this clubhouse.”

Ray was requested if he might pinpoint the place issues went fallacious for a crew that was tied with the Dodgers for first place within the Nationwide League West after they made the largest splash of the season, including Rafael Devers in a mid-June blockbuster.

“It felt like there was a number of instances proper earlier than the commerce deadline the place we form of shot ourselves within the foot,” he stated.

For the reason that Devers commerce, the Giants have gone 36-52 and went from consumers to sellers by the commerce deadline. On Tuesday, the slide reached its pure conclusion, with their season ending in disappointment for the fourth straight yr.

“To not say that we didn’t get some good items for the longer term, however we removed a pair key items on this clubhouse,” Ray stated. “After that we form of went on a surge and felt like we had been getting some momentum. Then, the final couple weeks we simply weren’t in a position to actually do something. It’s unlucky, but it surely’s a very good lesson for us to study.”