The SF Giants have defied early expectations in a surprising (and promising) way

The SF Giants are back to .500 in the Gabe Kapler era after starting the season 5-3.

It had been more than four years since Johnny Cueto pitched into the ninth inning when he made a bid for a complete game shutout against the Colorado Rockies on Friday.

Cueto recorded two outs, gave up a run and was ultimately lifted in favor of closer Jake McGee, but the fact he pitched so deep into a game was one of the most promising early signs of the season for a Giants club that’s defied some early expectations.

Cueto and right-hander Kevin Gausman have paced a rotation that’s been far better than anticipated through the club’s first eight games as the Giants have had every starter throw at least five innings in each game. Entering 2021, the Giants expected their offense to lead the way and a rebuilt bullpen to provide stability at the end of games, but through a week and a half of play, it’s been the team’s starting pitchers that have propelled manager Gabe Kapler’s club to a 5-3 start.

The 48 1/3 innings thrown by Giants starters so far rank third in the majors and are five more than the next closest team that’s played eight games. Aside from the two veterans leading the staff, the club received strong efforts from free agent signees Anthony DeSclafani and Aaron Sanchez against a tough Padres lineup and has watched Logan Webb pitch around some command issues to effectively limit damage done against him.

The Giants’ offense is hitting .197 as a team with a .653 OPS that’s nearly 200 points under the mark the lineup posted last season, but timely hits from Mike Yastrzemski in San Diego and Brandon Crawford at home against Colorado have helped the team win three games that could have easily turned in its opponents’ favor.

With McGee yet to allow a hit in his role as the closer, the Giants are also turning the ninth inning into a breeze, which was hardly the case in Kapler’s first season with the club.

The Giants’ 5-3 record means the organization is now an even 34-34 in Kapler’s first 68 games, but president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi didn’t hire Bruce Bochy’s successor with the hope he would keep the team around .500. The organization is looking to take the next step and emerge as a legitimate threat in the National League West and while the odds of doing so in 2021 are relatively slim, the Giants’ promising start has included encouraging signs and a foundation the team hopes to build upon.

If the Giants’ starting rotation can continue to exceed expectations and the lineup can return to the form it showed a season ago, the club should be able to remain competitive in a tough division. By taking two of three in San Diego, the Giants already proved they can hold their own going head-to-head with the Padres and with two wins at home that involved clutch hits from Crawford, they’ve done exactly what was expected against the Rockies.

It’s too soon to make any grand predictions for the team’s immediate future, but with help eventually on the way in the middle of the season from prospects Joey Bart and Heliot Ramos and a few intriguing young bullpen arms, the Giants think they have they have the potential to improve.

It’s early, but so far, the Giants are pleased with what they’ve been able to accomplish. Now they need the offense to come around.