As Landen Roupp nears career high in innings, Giants plan to let him pitch
SEATTLE — Landen Roupp didn’t want his night to end.But he didn’t put up a fight.When just over two more innings represents a career high for a season, you learn to pick your battles over going back out for one more.
Even in the case of Roupp, who shares the same bulldog mentality as Logan Webb and, on Friday, sure pitched like the Giants’ ace, too.Roupp tossed seven shutout innings to help the Giants start the second half on the right note Friday in a 7-0 win over the Mariners.Still, he understood he had minimal leverage to persuade manager Tony Vitello to give him the chance of completing eight for a second straight start.“He made a comment today about not fighting to go back out there in the eighth,” Vitello said.Instead, he handed the game off to Jason Foley, who touched 97 mph while tossing a scoreless eighth in his first big-league appearance since 2024.
Caleb Kilian took care of business in the ninth, and the Giants finished what they hope is a preview of what’s to come in their final stretch.Roupp, 27, figures to be a big part of the Giants’ second-half plans, especially if Robbie Ray and/or Tyler Mahle are pitching for different teams after the Aug.3 trade deadline.The young right-hander has looked the part of a No.
2 his past two times out.Before allowing two hits over seven innings against the Mariners, Roupp limited the Blue Jays to one run on three hits. In that outing, 11 days earlier, Roupp was allowed to complete eight innings, a career high.
That also put him on the doorstep of another significant milepost: He was less than 10 innings from matching his largest workload in one season — the 106 ⅔ he threw last year.When his night was over Friday, Roupp’s inning total stood at 104.By the sounds of it, the Giants have no plans of lightening his load.Vitello was asked after the game about his plans for Roupp in the second half, given the career high he is almost certain to blow past the next time he takes the mound.“Let him p...