What we learned as Webb shines in Giants' win vs. Astros

What we learned as Webb shines in Giants' win vs. Astros originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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HOUSTON — The 2024 Giants were remarkably allergic to anything but .500 baseball.

If they sunk too low, they always would find a way to go on a little run, no matter how many issues they had on the roster. If they started to creep too far above even, they would always go into a skid. They finished 80-82, never falling more than six games under or climbing more than three games over. 

The 2025 Giants already are three games over .500, tying last season’s high-water mark. Thanks to Logan Webb, Willy Adames and Heliot Ramos, they clinched a winning season-opening road trip, and they’ll try to get greedy on Wednesday. 

Webb turned in a vintage Webb game, striking out six and getting three double play grounders over seven innings. Adames and Ramos provided the offensive jolt as the Giants beat the Astros 3-1.

Adames yanked a two-run double into the left field corner in the third and Ramos found the Crawford Boxes an inning later for his third homer. Webb gave up his own short-porch blast to Jose Altuve, but that was it. He dialed it up in the seventh, striking out Astros three-four hitters Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker with a runner at first. 

Extra! Extra! 

Anytime you join a list that previously only included Felipe Alou and Willie Mays, you’ve done something pretty cool. Ramos found himself with that company after hitting a 108-mph laser just over the wall in left, giving him an extra-base hit in five consecutive games to open the season. The last Giant to do that was Mays in 1971, and Alou holds the franchise record by beginning his season with six straight such games in 1963. 

Ramos now has three homers off right-handed pitchers this season, which is a quarter of the way to his total from last year, when he struggled against righties and posted a .673 OPS in the matchups. Through five games, the left fielder is slugging .810.

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Christian Koss was the biggest surprise on the Opening Day roster. He made an impression from the start of camp, and over time, the front office and coaching staff came to feel that his versatility, speed, good eye and attitude were the right fit, even if it required adding him to the 40-man roster. 

Bob Melvin was thrilled to deliver the news to Koss last Tuesday, but he had to wait a whole week to make his big league debut since he’s third on the depth chart when it comes to right-handed-hitting second basemen, and there were no obvious pinch-running situations in the first four games. Koss’ parents traveled to Cincinnati and had to return to Southern California to go to work Monday, but his wife and young daughter were at Daikin Park.

Koss drew a walk in his first big league plate appearance, showing that good eye. He fell behind 1-2 but worked the count full and took a fastball that was just off the plate. He then came around to score from first on Adames’ double. Koss didn’t have a hit the rest of the night, but he made an extremely quick turn on an inning-ending double play in the sixth. 

Waiting for Wade

The Giants came into the season pretty committed to having Jung Hoo Lee hit third and LaMonte Wade Jr. and Ramos lead off. While Ramos is off to a red-hot start, Wade might head home looking for his first hit of the season. The veteran is 0-for-16 with five strikeouts, three of which came Tuesday, and the Giants face lefty Framber Valdez on Wednesday. Wade, usually one of the best on-base guys in the game, is also still looking for his first walk.

Melvin sent Casey Schmitt up to hit for Wade with a runner on and one out in the seventh, which led to Schmitt playing first base for the first time in his career. The young infielder has been taking grounders on this trip to prepare for the possibility, and it’s something the Giants might have to do often while Jerar Encarnacion rehabs. 

With Encarnacion out and Wilmer Flores starting at DH just about every day, the bench is short on backup first base options. Koss, Tyler Fitzgerald and backup catcher Sam Huff have all done it in the past, but Schmitt is the best defender of the group and shouldn’t have too much of an adjustment period. 

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