Disco investment looking like a wise one

The Giants’ offseason gamble on Anthony DeSclafani is paying early dividends.

DeSclafani continued his brilliant start to the season in the Giants’ 4-1 loss, holding the Marlins to one run across six innings with four strikeouts and no walks. The right-hander’s lone mistake was a hanging breaking ball to Jazz Chisholm Jr., who barely knocked it over the right field fence.

“Thought Anthony pitched a really good game,” said manager Gabe Kapler. “I thought his fastball command was there and the life on the fastball. Executed at the bottom of the zone. He and Buster worked very well together.”

DeSclafani, who made his Major League debut with the Marlins, has pitched well at loanDepot Park as a visitor since being traded from South Beach. In three starts as an opponent, he has allowed just four earned runs across 18 2/3 innings with 22 strikeouts.

“That guy’s a righty killer,” said Marlins manager Don Mattingly. “I’d like to have four or five lefties in the lineup today, honestly, with that guy, but that’s now how we’re built."

Despite DeSclafani’s strong start, the Giants couldn’t muster any offense and get their starter his second win of the season. San Francisco’s hitters only totaled five hits and wasted several prime scoring opportunities, leaving 11 runners on base.

DeSclafani could’ve gone out for the seventh inning, having only thrown 87 pitches, but with the game tied at one in the top of the frame, he was pulled for pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella.

"More than anything else, our hitters are feeling some frustration right now,” Kapler said.

With the Chisholm homer, the first long ball he has allowed this season, DeSclafani's streak of consecutive scoreless frames ended at 13 innings. His longest streak of consecutive scoreless innings remains 16, a mark he set with the Reds in 2015. While his stretch of run prevention is over, DeSclafani is showing flashes of those first couple seasons with the Reds.

DeSclafani has been San Francisco’s best starter through three outings, owning a 1.06 ERA with 16 strikeouts to four walks in 17 innings. That’s all the more impressive given that this rotation also boasts Johnny Cueto (1.80 ERA) and Kevin Gausman (3.20 ERA). As a whole, San Francisco’s starters own a 2.71 ERA, the second-best figure in the league.

"I think we’re just doing a really good job on focusing on the little things right now,” DeSclafani said.

The odds that DeSclafani prevents runs at this rate for an entire season, of course, are nearly just about zero. He enjoyed an equally great start to his season in April 2015, when he had a 1.04 ERA across 26 innings. Still, Disco’s returns thus far are promising given how the 2020 season unfolded.

Even with the small sample size in mind, last season was far-and-away the worst of DeSclafani’s career. After a strong beginning, he posted a 7.28 ERA as a starter before being demoted to the bullpen. DeSclafani said his ability to get in the strike zone early and often has helped fuel the strong start.

“I would say the biggest difference is definitely being in those leverage counts and doing it more consistently,” DeSclafani said.