SAN FRANCISCO — Tyler Beede and Andrew Suarez spent the spring competing to be the next man up in the big league rotation. It turns out they’ll make their debuts less than 24 hours apart.
Beede got his feet wet with four two-run innings on Tuesday and Suarez will take the ball Wednesday in place of Johnny Cueto, who has a sprained left ankle. The 25-year-old left-hander was added to the roster Wednesday morning, with Madison Bumgarner moving to the 60-day DL to clear a 40-man roster spot. Steven Okert was optioned back to Triple-A after one game to clear a spot on the active roster.
According to Stats LLC, Beede and Suarez are doing something that hasn’t been done for the Giants since long before they were born. Only once in the San Francisco Giants era have back-to-back games been started by guys making their debuts. Bob Knepper took the ball on Sept. 10, 1976 and Frank Riccelli made his debut a day later.
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“He’s confident and he has the ability to go out here and have success,” Beede said. “It’s a bright future for him. I’ve seen him pitch all spring. I’m excited to see him out there. I’ve been pulling for him and all the guys in the rotation. It’s really cool that we’re all here together. We’re all good friends and to experience these moments together is surreal.”
Suarez is the top left-handed prospect in the organization. He’s viewed as Ty Blach-ish, with a very good slider. Manager Bruce Bochy said Suarez is stretched out enough that he should be able to throw about 90 pitches Wednesday. If he can get the win, he’ll do something else the Giants haven’t seen in a while. The last Giants pitcher to win his first start was Ryan Sadowski in 2009.