SAN FRANCISCO – Andrew Suarez and the Giants were shut down Monday night, losing 4-1 and dropping game one of a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves.
But Monday’s loss wasn’t all bad, as Andrew Suarez had a quality start in only his third start coming off the injured list. Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford discussed Suarez’s first start of the season, and why he enjoys playing behind him on defense.
“I love playing behind Suarez”, Crawford said. “He works fast, he gets a lot of ground balls, he goes after guys, sometimes to a fault.”
Suarez got off to a rough start early. Braves slugger Ronald Acuña Jr. blasted a solo homer to left on the very first pitch of the game. Later on in the game, Suarez gave up a crucial home run to Austin Riley, which gave the Braves a 3-0 lead, and ultimately the win.
“If Acuna didn’t hit the first pitch that he threw, it’s hard to avoid that I guess. But the two-strike pitch that got hit out, he obviously wanted to bury that one and he left it over the plate.”
All in all, Suarez was solid in his first start of the season. Working his way back from a brief IL stint in Triple-A, Monday’s start was a more than a productive one.
“Other than that, he pitched really well, didn’t make a whole lot of mistakes. And like I said, we works fast, so as an infielder I always appreciate that.”
Following Monday nights game, Giants manager Bruce Bochy announced that Suarez will remain in the Giants rotation.
“You saw his starts last year”, Bochy said. “He had some really good ones. A couple of hiccups, but he’s got velocity, a good breaking ball, and changeup. He used them all tonight, and when he’s on, he’s tough. So right now, he’s going to be starting.”
The Giants move from one young arm to the next, and will send out rookie Shaun Anderson Tuesday. Anderson is coming off an impressive debut on the mound and at the plate and looks to continue his success at the major league level.