STREET. LOUIS — Jordan Hicks broke into the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2018 and pitched at Busch Stadium for five seasons. He settled into a familiar rhythm in the height of summer, when temperatures typically hover around 100 degrees and humidity makes sledding even more difficult for players.
Hicks would sit in the bullpen and dugout and watch opposing starters work long innings. When his pitch count reached twenty in an inning, he would see his legs get heavy. That’s when the Cardinals lineup tended to attack.
On Saturday, Hicks experienced the other side of that.
After 99 appearances at Busch Stadium as a Cardinal, he made his first on the road and allowed a season-high five earned runs in a 9-4 loss that left the Giants five games under .500. Hicks needed 29 pitches to get through the third and, although he left the bases loaded, his legs never recovered. The Cardinals took the lead on Alec Burleson’s three-run shot in the fourth and never looked back.
“To be honest, my legs were pretty dead after the third one,” Hicks said.
It was one of his toughest days as a Giant, but for Hicks there was still a major silver lining. He reached the 80-inning mark for the first time in his career, surpassing his previous career high of 77 2/3 innings, set in 2018. It’s an accomplishment Hicks is proud of, in large part because he’s always wanted a chance to being a starter every five days in the big leagues.
Hicks joined NL innings leader Logan Webb as Giants who have already pitched at least 80 innings. The problem for the coaching staff right now is that it will be a while until someone else comes into the club.
Kyle Harrison is eight outs away, but is sidelined with a sprained ankle. Keaton Winn is the only other Giant even at the 40-inning mark, but he’s headed into another MRI on his right elbow. After those four, the next seven pitchers on the team’s innings rankings are relievers.
It’s a problem the Giants currently have no solution for and it’s costing them games. Hicks started with a one-run deficit, but because his bullpen is so depleted, manager Bob Melvin left out Sean Hjelle for a second inning. On his 27th pitch in 94-degree weather, Hjelle gave up a two-run home run.
Hjelle has been excellent in short bursts this year and is pitching like someone who can get big outs late in games. But too often, Melvin has needed him to help keep games close after a starter exits in the fourth or fifth.
“It’s been a lot,” Melvin said of the bullpen’s workload. “We have some guys with extreme workloads right now. (Ryan) Walker, (Erik) Miller and Tyler (Rogers) workloads are extreme. We have to find a way, even in the games we are about to play. forward, for Hjelle he is a guy who can do it, but unfortunately he also had to pitch two innings.
“Randy (Rodriguez) is maybe a guy who can do it too, but we have to take a hard look at it now because we’re looking at (pitching) in half the games, more I think a little bit for a while. “There’s a couple of these guys. , and it’s a lot that three of them are in the top 10 (in appearances) that makes things uncomfortable.”
Walker leads the majors with 39 appearances and Rogers is right behind him with 38. Miller is tied for ninth with 36. The Giants have three of the top seven in the National League in terms of appearances, a troubling thought given how tight which is the Wild of the National League. The card race is and how much they may need those guys in September too.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but the Giants won’t reach it until July at the earliest. That’s when they hope to get Harrison, Ray and possibly Cobb back, but at some point in the second half, Harrison and Hicks will also face innings limits. Several relievers will also surpass their previous highs.
In the meantime, there are games to win and the Giants at least have Webb waiting. He will cross the 100-inning mark on the final day of the trip and Hicks hopes to get there soon as well. He said that his body feels good overall and that he has no problems with his arm.
“I feel good, but it’s hard to ask myself this because it was the hottest game of the year with 10 degrees,” he said. “Ask me after the next one. I think I feel good. My legs took effect early today.”
The Cardinals took the lead, but Hicks’ next start will be in the comfortable cool climate of Oracle Park. After that, it’s a trip to Atlanta and Cleveland, putting more stress on a pitching staff that ranks 26th in the majors in ERA.
It’s a problem that threatens to derail the season, and Melvin’s frustration Saturday showed it’s something that keeps him up at night. The Giants fly home on Sunday for seven straight home games, and currently have just two starting pitchers in their five-man rotation.
There are no easy answers, although Hicks at least offered a way to have a happier flight home.
“Let’s win tomorrow, let’s get out of here and move to San Francisco,” he said.
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