SAN DIEGO -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy waited until the hours before the season opener to name Will Smith his closer, in part because he felt he had so many options. But when asked if Reyes Moronta also would get a look in the ninth inning, Bochy paused.
"Sometimes we forget how important that sixth and seventh is," Bochy said Thursday. "And he did a great job keeping us in games."
In his first appearance of 2019, Moronta did more than that with an electric performance in the sixth and seventh. Moronta entered Saturday’s game with the tying run on second base and no outs in the sixth, and the Padres having just scored a pair. He struck out five of the seven batters he faced, setting a career high.
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"What a game-saving effort," Bochy said after the Giants’ 3-2 win over the Padres. "He won the game for us."
Moronta didn't have even a moment to ease into the season. His first opponent was Manny Machado, and the $300 million man went down swinging on a high slider. Wil Myers, who has destroyed the Giants over the years and in this series, waved through a 98-mph fastball. Hunter Renfroe struck out on an inning-ending slider.
In the seventh, Moronta struck out Fernando Tatis Jr. with a 97-mph heater and threw a slider past Manny Margot to end the inning.
In all, the 26-year-old right-hander threw 38 pitches, getting nine swinging strikes. He maxed out at 98.5 mph, forming a bridge from Dereck Rodriguez to a back end of the bullpen that clinched the first 2019 win.
San Francisco Giants
"I really don't think about the situation," Moronta said through interpreter Erwin Higueros. "I really don't care. I have to pitch wherever they need me."
Moronta was dominant at times last year in his first full season, setting a franchise record by allowing just 4.71 hits per nine innings. But he had command issues, particularly with the first batter or two he faced. There was none of that Saturday.
Bochy said he spoke to Moronta this spring about having the right focus from the start of outings. He saw a difference Saturday.
"He's got a good look, a presence about him out there," Bochy said. "Sometimes that takes a little while. I don't think it was ever nerves. I think sometimes he dropped his guard a little bit.
"That (focus) is one thing we did talk about. He knows it. That first hitter is an important hitter."
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Having the right mentality throughout isn't the only change the Giants have seen. Moronta has always had a good slider to go with the big fastball, but he worked hard over the offseason to add a third pitch, a changeup his trainer suggested because of what it did for Pedro Martinez. Moronta didn't throw any Saturday. He didn't need to with how dominant the other two pitches were.