Embracing key pitch helps Hicks reach new high in K's

SAN FRANCISCO -- Jordan Hicks didn’t record any strikeouts in his last start against the D-backs, but he more than made up for it when he returned to the mound to face the Pirates on Saturday night.

Hicks racked up a career-high nine strikeouts over six-plus innings of one-run ball, but the Giants couldn’t reward his sensational effort in falling, 4-3, to the Pirates in 10 innings at Oracle Park.

The Pirates seized a 4-1 lead after Bryan Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes crushed back-to-back homers off lefty Taylor Rogers in the top of the 10th, but the Giants immediately pulled within one following Jorge Soler’s two-run bomb off Pittsburgh closer David Bednar in the bottom half of the inning.

Soler entered Saturday only 2-for-23 with two RBIs with runners in scoring position this season, prompting the Giants to drop him to the sixth spot in the batting order, but he did some serious damage when he led off with the automatic runner at second. The 32-year-old slugger demolished a down-the-middle fastball from Bednar, launching a 433-foot shot out to left field that left his bat at 109.8 mph. It was Soler’s fifth home run of the season and his first with a runner on base.

“All it takes sometimes is a couple of good swings, and that was a really good swing,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Unfortunately, it just kept us one short. But he’s going to have a big say in how we do and the production that we get. He’s got a huge track record of driving in runs and hitting balls like he did.”

Thairo Estrada followed with a one-out single, but San Francisco couldn’t pull off a second straight walk-off win after LaMonte Wade Jr. and Mike Yastrzemski struck out to end the game.

“It’s been a very difficult start to the season,” said Soler, who is batting .222 with eight RBIs through his first 28 games. “I haven’t been able to find my groove. But I’m working hard in the cage to try to get a better streak going.”

While the Giants’ bats have struggled to find any semblance of offensive consistency over the first month of the regular season, their starting rotation has managed to keep them in games as of late. Hicks' gem extended an impressive run from San Francisco’s starters, who have posted a combined 0.84 ERA (three earned runs over 32 innings) over the club’s last six games.

The 27-year-old Hicks is looking like the Giants’ savviest free-agent addition thus far, logging a 1.59 ERA over his first six starts of the season. He struck out the side on 15 pitches in the first inning and didn’t look back, with all but one of his punchouts coming on his splitter.

Hicks hardly threw his splitter last year, but the pitch has become a key part of his arsenal now that he’s become a full-time starter and generated 11 of his 15 swinging strikes on Saturday.

“For me, it was about finding my starting point,” Hicks said. “Where I’m looking, where I’m trying to start the pitch. I think it was just a little too low when we started the season. Just seeing that pitch kind of evolve over the past six games, I’m just really happy with it and kind of want to keep it right there.”

Wilmer Flores forced Hicks to pitch around a couple of errors in the top of the sixth, but Flores atoned for his defensive miscues in the bottom half of the inning, lining an RBI double into the left-center-field gap to break a scoreless tie and put the Giants ahead, 1-0.

Hicks was in line for the win when he came back out for the seventh, but he was removed after surrendering a leadoff single to Connor Joe. The next batter, Jack Suwinski, then scorched a 108.1 mph low liner that narrowly avoided right-hander Luke Jackson but ended up smoking shortstop Nick Ahmed on the left wrist.

Ahmed attempted to pick up the ball and throw to first, but Suwinski beat out the throw to put runners on first and second with no outs. Jackson followed with a one-out walk to Jared Triolo that loaded the bases for Rowdy Tellez, who lifted a sacrifice fly to left to tie the game.

Hicks has now allowed two runs or fewer in each of his first six outings, reaffirming the Giants’ belief that he can be a viable starting option in 2024 and beyond.

“I just really wanted to come out here with a lot of confidence in my pitches,” Hicks said. “I know I have pretty good stuff and I think if I was to be in the zone more with it, these kinds of things might happen. I really like where I’m at, but today’s a tough one, so it’s hard to be very enthusiastic about it.”