Sean Manaea will return to a San Francisco Bay Area mound for the first time since being traded by the Oakland Athletics when the left-hander attempts to earn his new team, the San Diego Padres, a series win in the finale of a three-game set against the host San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.
Coming off a 13-2 win on Tuesday night, the Giants will counter with ace right-hander Logan Webb (0-0, 1.50).
Manaea (1-0, 0.00), who won his Padres debut Friday at Arizona with seven no-hit innings, is no stranger to Oracle Park in San Francisco. Aside from appearances in the annual Bay Bridge Series at the end of spring training, the 30-year-old made three starts for the A’s at the Giants’ home, going 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA.
He’s allowed just 11 hits in 17 innings in those games, striking out 13.
Overall, Manaea has made seven career starts against the Giants, going 2-2 with a 2.68 ERA.
Manaea, a six-year member of the A’s before the April 3 trade, has watched a stellar pitching effort by teammate Nick Martinez in a 4-2 win in the series opener Monday, and a Giants explosion of runs in Tuesday’s 13-2 blowout, all while showing off his new uniform to his fans who have shown up in San Francisco.
“I’m still getting used to it,” he said of his new team colors.
The only thing missing from the reunion will be his former A’s teammates, who will play Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Still, he’ll have Padres teammate Jurickson Profar and manager Bob Melvin with him, both of whom were in Oakland before heading south.
“We keep in touch,” Manaea assured of the A’s. “I’m definitely keeping tabs on everybody.”
Manaea faced the San Francisco core of Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt and Wilmer Flores multiple times, but he figures to go head-to-head with Giants prospect Heliot Ramos for the first time Wednesday.
Ramos, who plays mostly against left-handers, has gotten just one at-bat in the series (a strikeout Monday) after making a splashy major-league debut Sunday with two hits against the Miami Marlins.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler looks forward to more of the same.
“Once a player has a little bit of momentum and confidence built, we want to be able to capitalize on that confidence and that momentum,” he said, “and I think that’s true in Heliot’s case as well.”
Webb was denied a win in his season debut on Opening Day when the Marlins scored three in the ninth against the San Francisco bullpen to erase a 4-2 deficit and leave the starting pitcher with a no-decision.
The right-hander left the game one batter into the seventh inning after walking Joey Wendle with a 3-0 lead. Wendle came around to score, a run charged to Webb, giving him a finishing line of one run allowed and five hits in six-plus innings. He walked one and struck out three.
The 25-year-old made three starts against the Padres last season, winning one, losing one and getting one no-decision. He allowed 11 runs in 17 innings in those games, two of which the Giants lost.
He’s gone 1-1 with a 4.33 ERA in six career appearances, including five starts, against San Diego.
–Field Level Media
