What we learned as shift rule bites Webb in loss to White Sox originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
CHICAGO -- Most of the "new rules" talk over the past week has been focused on the pitch clock, and it came into play Wednesday when Chicago White Sox star Tim Anderson was ejected after taking a bizarre strike three from Logan Webb, who was ready to go when Anderson got into the box and showed that he was alert to the pitcher.
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But the new shift rules are a big deal, too, and on Wednesday the Giants surely wished they were playing under the old system.
Webb and Sean Hjelle faced 33 batters and allowed 11 singles, many of which squirted through the right side of the infield, where teams used to be allowed three defenders. The offense went dark for the third time on this trip, and the Giants lost 7-3 at Guaranteed Rate Field. They got out-hit 13-4.
Even with all of that, the Giants (2-3) had their chances in the fifth and seventh thanks to a stream of free passes by White Sox (3-3) pitchers. They had two on in the fifth but Dylan Cease struck Joc Pederson out to end the inning. Two innings later, the bases were loaded for Pederson, who couldn't catch up to 98 mph from righty Reynaldo Lopez on a 3-2 count.
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The White Sox immediately tacked on three more runs, pulling away.
Here are three things to know from the Giants' loss:
Just Dingers
The Giants made a late lineup change because Thairo Estrada has some calf stiffness after fouling a ball off his leg Monday. That gave J.D. Davis a shot and he took full advantage, hitting a breaking ball over the wall in right to get the Giants on the board in the second.
Davis showed good opposite-field power in two months as a Giant last season and is one of the few right-handed hitters who can find the arcade at Oracle Park consistently. His homer was a similar blast.
With Davis at third, David Villar shifted over to second. He generally looked comfortable and did a nice job of turning a double play in the fourth, although the Giants at some point might prefer more range on days when Estrada is out.
Ready To Head Home
With two days off on this trip, the Giants moved Webb up to pitch the fifth game of the season. It didn't go as planned.
Webb was dominant last Thursday outside of a couple of pitches that went for homers, but on Wednesday he was singled to death. The White Sox had seven singles and two doubles in Webb's five innings, putting four earned on his line.
Webb struck out 16 in 11 innings on the trip and walked just two, but he also gave up eight earned runs. His next start will come next week against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park.
A Weird Trend
Here's a fun fact: You need to score runs to win games.
Yeah, obviously. But this has still been an odd trip when it comes to the scoring, or lack thereof.
The Giants got blanked twice in New York, but in between, they scored seven runs. On Monday, they hit seven homers for the first time in two decades and won 12-3. So, that's 19 runs in the two wins this season and three in the three losses.
Part of this is just the pitching they've faced. They got Gerrit Cole in the opener and didn't do much Wednesday against Dylan Cease, who finished second in AL Cy Young voting last year. Cease walked five but allowed just one hit and struck out eight.
