In his 2024 debut, right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi limited the San Francisco Giants to just two runs over six innings, while Gabriel Moreno’s timely two-run single in the sixth inning propelled the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 5-3 victory on Sunday.
Cecconi, filling in for the injured Merrill Kelly, earned his first win of the season (1-0) as he was summoned from Triple-A Reno for his fifth career start, replacing Kelly who was sidelined with a shoulder injury.
The majority of the Diamondbacks arrived at the ballpark unaware of Kelly’s absence. Cecconi, who flew in from Reno the night before, was informed of his starting role just hours before the game. Manager Torey Lovullo acknowledged the challenging circumstances, emphasizing Cecconi’s stellar performance and the team’s resilience in response to the unexpected news.
Lovullo remarked, “It was a tough day. You wake up to news about Merrill, and it affects the team. But what Slade accomplished allowed us to regroup, and we secured a crucial victory.”
The Giants struggled to make contact against Cecconi until Thairo Estrada broke through with an infield single with two outs in the fifth inning. Mike Yastrzemski then launched a homer over the right-field wall, giving the Giants a momentary 2-1 lead, his first of the season.
Moreno’s decisive single off left-hander Erik Miller in the sixth inning propelled Arizona ahead 3-2.
In the ninth inning, Arizona tacked on two more runs to extend their lead to 5-2, during which Giants manager Bob Melvin and third base coach Matt Williams were ejected for disputing a foul-tip call.
Melvin’s ejection marked his second of the season. Replays indicated that Kevin Newman seemingly swung and missed Nick Avila’s two-strike pitch, but Scheurwater ruled it a foul tip, prolonging Newman’s at-bat and leading to an RBI double.
“It’s a missed opportunity for an out, resulting in a hit and a run,” Melvin expressed. “From my perspective, it appeared quite clear.”
Kevin Ginkel surrendered an RBI double to Thairo Estrada with two outs in the ninth inning, but he clinched his fourth save of the season by striking out Mike Yastrzemski.
Giants’ starter Jordan Hicks allowed only one run and one hit over five innings, despite issuing four walks and hitting two batters. Hicks did not record any strikeouts and gave up a run on Jake McCarthy’s sacrifice fly in the second inning.
Merrill Kelly experienced shoulder discomfort between starts, prompting an MRI that revealed a mild strain. However, he is expected to undergo another MRI in Phoenix for further evaluation.
Kelly started the season with a strong 2-0 record and a 2.19 ERA across four starts. His significant contributions during the 2023 postseason included pivotal wins in the National League Division Series against the Dodgers, the NL Championship Series against the Phillies, and the World Series against the eventual champions, the Rangers.
