Rogers continues recent surge in Giants’ win vs. Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SAN FRANCISCO — The frustration boiled over for Taylor Rogers after he failed to record an out in his fifth appearance as a Giant, and he couldn’t hide it. Rogers came off the field against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 13 and made a beeline for the dugout’s trash can, dumping his glove inside and not looking back. Not even when a member of the clubhouse staff fished it out later that night.
“I have no idea where it is,” Rogers said Tuesday, smiling.
The glove was perfectly worn in, but as Rogers digested about the roughest possible start to a career with a new team, he thought about how the glove was one he had used in Milwaukee last season when he struggled after a blockbuster trade. It was time for a fresh start with a fresh glove.
Sometimes in this game, that’s all you need.
Rogers hasn’t allowed a run since that night against the Dodgers, and he was at his best when the Giants needed him Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. Rogers was summoned with one out and two on in the fourth after Alex Cobb‘s wildness had ended his night. He struck out Bryce Harper, then got Nick Castellanos to ground out to second. Rogers came back out for the fifth and struck out Kyle Schwarber before passing the baton to John Brebbia.
The Giants went on to win 4-3 on what was one of the best nights of the year for the bullpen. The win went to Rogers, and when that was announced in the press box, the official scorer made sure it was clear he meant the left-handed Rogers twin, not the right-handed one. On this night, he could have chosen either.
Taylor did his job and then sat back and watched as Tyler pitched two innings, getting the lead to Camilo Doval, who clinched the series victory. It was how the Giants drew it up in the offseason — kind of.
When Taylor signed a three-year deal in the offseason, the Giants envisioned him pitching in the eighth and ninth, teaming with Doval to form one of the league’s best late-innings combinations. Tyler, coming off a down season, was supposed to help get the ball to those two. The early struggles led to some changes, and before Tuesday’s game, manager Gabe Kapler found the left-hander to discuss his role.
“We thought he was going to be pitching in the eighth inning of games for us, sometimes in the ninth, and obviously we don’t anticipate having him come in and getting big outs for us early in games, but it shows how resilient…