SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Two weeks ago, Logan Webb floated the possibility of organizing simulated games in Arizona to help keep players sharp while they awaited the end of the lockout. His tweet caught the attention of Marcus Stroman, who expressed interest in taking part in the action.

Those plans never materialized, as MLB and the MLBPA ended up hammering out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that allowed players to report to Spring Training last week. Still, Webb and Stroman got the chance to meet up on Friday night, when they started against each other in a 7-3 Giants loss in their Cactus League opener against the Cubs at Scottsdale Stadium.

Webb picked up right where he left off from his breakout season in 2021, striking out five of the seven batters he faced over two scoreless innings.

“Honestly, I was a little nervous out there,” Webb said. “It was good to get that feeling again. I was sitting in the dugout before, and there’s like this feeling in your chest that I can’t really explain. I kind of tried to take it all in and get that feeling again.” 

Webb looked sharp from the outset, striking out Nico Hoerner and Frank Schwindel on changeups and inducing a groundout from Rafael Ortega in a 1-2-3 first inning. His command wavered as he issued a five-pitch walk to Clint Frazier to start the second, but he came back to strike out the side to cap his 30-pitch outing. 

Webb felt he could have come out for a third inning, but the Giants are being cautious with workloads as they attempt to navigate an accelerated ramp-up to Opening Day on April 8. The 25-year-old right-hander is the favorite to start the 2022 opener against the Marlins at Oracle Park, particularly after developing into a homegrown ace last year, when he logged a 3.03 ERA over 27 games and delivered a pair of brilliant performances in the postseason. 

Webb’s October dominance earned him a host of new fans, including Stroman, a fellow sinkerballer who has tweeted high praise for the budding young star.

“Logan, he's honestly one of my favorite pitchers,” Stroman said. “Arguably, like top three, probably, favorite in the big leagues, just because I feel like we're similar in the sink-slider. We're kind of guys that don't necessarily fit the mold of the pitcher today. And to see his success last year was pretty incredible. I've got to know him a little over social media. We're supposed to link, actually, soon in the next few days. We have the same breathing coach, so we're going to go over some breathing exercises. He's someone who always wants to learn. He's someone who's adapting, changing. I think he's going to have an incredible career.”

Webb, who took a moment to embrace Stroman in right field before the game, said the admiration is mutual.

“He’s a good dude,” Webb said. “We’ve talked a couple of times. We said we’d say 'Hi' to each other before the game. I just kind of tipped my cap and said, 'What’s up?' Sinkerballers gotta stick together.” 

Up next

Right-hander Tyler Beede will make his Cactus League debut on Saturday when the Giants head to Salt River Fields at Talking Stick to face the Rockies at 1:10 p.m. PT. It’ll be the start of a big spring for Beede, who is out of options and aiming to show that he can still be a rotation option for San Francisco this year.