Black gives bullpen a breather: 'Continue to attack'

SAN DIEGO -- The Giants are peaking into the future. At times on Friday night, they liked the view.

The final score? That sighting wasn’t as enjoyable, with the Padres turning the Giants away, 5-1, in the first game of their weekend series at Petco Park.

The Padres are where the Giants wish they were -- in the thick of the NL Wild Card race. A rough patch after the All-Star break (8-23) has all but derailed those San Francisco dreams.

Yet the Giants might have discovered a pitcher with heart, and an effective arsenal of pitches, in Mason Black.

The right-hander, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the club’s No. 8 prospect, got tagged for the loss. But after the Padres showed their bark with a three-run first inning, Black declined to roll over and play dead.

Instead he showed his mettle, brushing off a brutal beginning of his outing to finish 4 2/3 innings, just one out shy of completing five innings for the second consecutive game.

“The first inning was a rough one, and we had to battle from behind,’’ Black said.

Black’s pitching line isn’t something to hang in the Louvre, but it doesn’t tell the whole story about his fifth Major League start. On the surface, allowing four runs on six hits, with a walk, over 4 2/3 innings doesn’t impress.

A deeper dive reveals that Black struck out six – stars Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. among them -- and during one stretch, he retired 13 of 14 batters, including nine straight.

One of the runs charged to the 24-year-old Black came when reliever Sean Hjelle surrendered a bloop single to Machado to drive in Tatis.

But the first frame was dreadful for Black, with rookie shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald showing the growing pains of learning the position at the big league level.

Luis Arraez and Tatis had game-opening singles before Jurickson Profar flied out to right. With the runners tagging up on Profar’s fly ball, Fitzgerald cut Mike Yastrzemski’s throw to third to try to erase Tatis at second.

But Fitzgerlad’s throw sailed into right field for his 12th error of the season. Then Machado blasted the first of his two solo homers.

“We’re going to make some mistakes, from time to time, but early in the game like that it is a little bit of a downer,’’ Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “All of sudden, it’s 3-0.”

When Black walked Jake Cronenworth after the homer, one could feel Melvin’s stomach churning.

The Giants’ bullpen was gassed and Melvin desperately needed some length from Black. Giants relievers had worked 20 1/3 innings over the previous three games, covering at least six innings in each of those contests against the Diamondbacks.

It was just the fifth time since 1901 that the Giants’ bullpen had turned that trick in three straight games of a series.

Black had to get right because there wasn’t much left in San Francisco’s bullpen, and he knew it.

“Absolutely,’’ Black said. “After that first inning, the goal was to get to six. And it was unfortunate that I couldn’t do that. But I definitely wanted to go out there and save the bullpen a little bit … just continue to attack and trust the game plan.”

Black returned to the Giants recently when Robbie Ray strained his left hamstring. It represented a second chance for Black to impress, after a May stint was underwhelming.

Over those four appearances, which included three starts, Black was 0-1 with a 8.79 ERA.

Black returned to the Minors and went to work. It all clicked in four August starts, when Black posted a 2.91 ERA as he leaned more on his four-seam fastball than his sweeper and sinker.

Lately, he has been working on staying more upright to help maintain his velocity as the game progresses.

Black’s outing on Friday didn’t result in a win, but it was another step for someone the Giants hope is a rotation mainstay sooner, rather than later. In the season’s final weeks, he is bent on showing he belongs.

“I’m just going to try and keep putting everything together,’’ Black said. “I feel like there have been some good moments and some rough ones out there. Just continue to develop and learn.’’