SAN FRANCISCO — When the Giants signed Jordan Hicks last offseason, the massive query was obvious: How would Hicks fare as a full-time starter for the primary time in his major league profession? With his last first-half appearance complete, San Francisco has half a season of information to look at — data that might suggest a change in Hicks' role going forward.
In his final start before the All-Star break, Hicks allowed five earned runs, including two home runs, in 4 1/3 innings. Former Giant Kevin Gausman threw seven two-run innings in his return to San Francisco and the Giants fell to the Blue Jays 5-3 on Thursday afternoon at Oracle Park.
On the surface, Hicks had a great first half, considering he hasn't been a full-time starter since his days within the Cardinals' minor leagues. The right-hander made 19 appearances within the starting lineup and posted a 3.79 earned run average in 95 innings — well surpassing his previous profession high of 77 2/3 innings in a season. Hicks was a distinct pitcher after the primary month of the season, nonetheless.
In March and April, Hicks had a 1.59 ERA over 34 innings. As of May, his ERA is 5.02 over 61 innings. Hicks pitched at the least six innings thrice in April, but has not done so since.
Hicks' velocity has also dropped. In April, his average sinker was 95.6 mph while opponents posted a .238 batting average against the pitch. In June, his average sinker velocity had dropped to 93.8 mph while opponents' batting average had risen to .462. Against the Blue Jays, he was 92.2 mph. Velocity isn't the be-all and end-all, but at higher speeds, you generally see a drop in performance from hitters.
Hicks will likely remain within the rotation to begin the second half. But as Robbie Ray and Alex Cobb get well from their respective injuries and Logan Webb, Blake Snell and Kyle Harrison join them within the rotation, the Giants must determine whether to maintain Hicks within the rotation or move him to the bullpen.
The Blue Jays put pressure on Hicks from the beginning, giving the right-hander three runs in the primary inning. George Springer began the sport with a single, then Spencer Horwitz followed with a single that led to 2 bases as center fielder Heliot Ramos made a fielding error and was unable to field the ball cleanly.
The mistake proved costly, as Toronto scored two runs on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s RBI groundout and Justin Turner's sacrifice fly – each made possible by Springer and Horwitz traveling the additional 90 feet. Danny Jansen capped the inning with a solo home run and the Blue Jays took a 3-0 lead.
After Ramos' two-run homer in the underside of the inning, Hicks needed to pitch the minimum within the second and third innings, then retired the primary two batters within the fourth inning. Just before his third consecutive scoreless inning, Hicks allowed three consecutive singles by Davis Schneider, Kevin Kiermaier and Leo Jiménez that led to a different run.
In the fifth inning, Spencer Horwitz sent Hicks' 1-0 sweeper into McCovey Cove, increasing Toronto's result in 5-2. Hicks struck out Justin Turner with one out on his 88th pitch of the day, and his afternoon was over.
Those five runs were good enough for Gausman, who placed on a performance that Giants fans have seen persistently before. Gausman's only error in his first game at Oracle Park since Game 5 of the 2021 NLDS against the Dodgers was hitting a house run to Ramos on a splitter that was way down and away. From then on, Gausman didn't allow one other run for the remainder of the sport.
The Blue Jays bullpen followed suit until Mike Yastrzemski's two-out solo home run in the underside of the ninth inning, but from the seventh inning onwards he was the one Giant to achieve base.
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