Adrian

Houser

Houser surrendered a leadoff homer to James Wood in the first inning. He got into trouble in the second, giving up four more runs, three earned, on three hits, a walk, a hit batter, and an error. Houser finally tossed a clean inning in the third and settled in nicely, keeping the Nationals from scoring again until he departed with two outs in the sixth at 88 pitches. He struck out just one. The 33-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 5.40 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and an 11/7 K/BB ratio across 21 2/3 innings. He’s scheduled for a start against the Marlins in San Francisco on Friday.

Houser also issued a pair of free passes on the day while striking out three. He served up a two-run homer to Samuel Basallo in the first inning then kept the O’s at bay until Pete Alonso smacked a two-run double while chasing Houser in the fifth inning. He got seven swings and misses on 88 pitches on the afternoon, posting an underwhelming CSW of 24 percent. He’ll try once more to pick up his first victory of the season as he brings a 5.06 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and a 10/5 K/BB ratio (16 innings) into Saturday’s matchup against the Nationals in Washington.

The Giants are now 1-7 at home. That’s not good. Houser was solid over the first four innings, but he gave up a pair of runs in the fifth and two more in the seventh — the latter without getting an out in that frame — while striking out three and walking two in the contest. This is a pretty typical Houser start, and without the win, it doesn’t offer much fantasy value. He’s a risky option Sunday when he faces the Orioles or any other lineup.

This was not a pretty start by any means. Yet, not much of the damage done against Houser was necessarily his fault. Two usually sure-handed defenders Casey Schmitt and Matt Chapman each made errors that brought an unearned run home. Then, Gavin Sheets laced a run-scoring double in the sixth inning as Houser’s last batter while Tony Vitello tried to nurse him through the inning rather than opt for a lefty reliever. At the same time, the Padres were all over Houser with 11 hard-hit balls and he was fortunate enough to keep the game as close as he did.

Houser piled up five strikeouts on the night while issuing a pair of free passes. All of the damage done against him came on one mighty swing by Salvador Perez in the opening inning. Aside from that, Houser was terrific. He got six swings and misses on 78 pitches on the evening, registering a middling CSW of 24 percent. It looks like he’ll open the season secure in the Giants’ rotation, though it’s a stretch to think that he’s going to suddenly return to being a viable mixed league fantasy option.

Houser had a 36% CSW today, getting 10 whiffs and 16 called strikes in the 73-pitch outing. The velocity bump he enjoyed last year has held up this spring, and there could be some fringy mixed-league potential here. The Giants just might want to use Casey Schmitt at second base and Luis Arraez at DH when Houser and Logan Webb are on the mound.

Houser struck out three and kept the ball in the yard in a fine showing against a team that had Cal Raleigh batting sixth. It’s going to be quite the letdown when he’s back facing the Rangers next time out.

Houser failed to record a strikeout, issued one walk and threw 36 pitches (23 strikes) in his first outing in a Giants uniform. The 33-year-old journeyman appears to have a spot locked up in San Francisco’s season-opening rotation, but he doesn’t offer a ton of fantasy appeal outside of extremely deep mixed leagues and NL-only formats.

The deal is now official. Houser heads to San Francisco where he’ll have an opportunity to start after compiling a respectable 3.31 ERA — 3.81 FIP — 1.28 WHIP and 92/38 K/BB ratio across 125 innings over 21 starts between the Rays and White Sox. The 32-year-old projects as a back-end rotation stabilizer behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray next season.

There’s also an option for a third year. Houser, who turns 33 in February, experienced a velocity spike last season and posted a nice 3.31 ERA in 21 starts for the White Sox and Rays, though that came with a modest 18% strikeout rate. The salary isn’t out of line with expectations, but given his age and his lack of any truly impressive seasons previously, it’s kind of surprising to see him get the second guaranteed year. He’ll join Logan Webb and Robbie Ray in a Giants rotation that still probably needs one more vet in the mix.