Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Drew Smyly was looking the best he has this season. Until he looked as concerning as he has in this very brief season.
The lefty was rolling in the fifth inning, but after two pitches to the first batter of the frame, Rob Refsnyder, he continually flexed his left hand.
Trainer L.J. Petra was called out to the mound, where he examined a left index finger that the Giants would term as experiencing discomfort. There was no blister or mark, but it did not feel right as Smyly threw a few practice pitches.
He walked off the mound and will be fitted into an MRI tube Saturday.
Gabe Kapler did not know if Smyly has felt this discomfort in the past and did not want to speak much further without MRI results.
Before the worries, Smyly was threatening to be the first Giants pitcher to complete the fifth inning this year. He threw just 71 pitches (51 strikes) and got first-pitch strikes on 16 of the 17 batters he faced.
His final line — four innings, three hits, two walks, two runs, seven strikeouts — was deceiving because of a botched rundown play in the first that led to two runs.
“He got very efficient and he started to really attack the strike zone,” Kapler said after the Giants’ 7-3 win at Oracle Park. “… We felt like he had a chance to complete [the fifth].”
Donovan Solano, your Major League Baseball RBI leader. The infielder added two more RBI singles, upping his total to 13, and is slashing .448/.433/.690.
He wasn’t expecting this either.
“It surprises me and I’m very happy,” Solano said through translator Erwin Higueros.
The Giants drew 11 walks, the fourth time in the last decade they’ve done so. They also struck out just four times.
Their pitchers walked four Rangers and struck out 13.
“We did a really nice job of controlling the strike zone on both sides of the ball,” Kapler said. “Our hitters did a really good job of attacking strikes and laying off balls, that’s why you saw the walks. And on the flip side our pitchers did a nice job of attacking the strike zone.”