Robbie Ray’s first crack at the postseason with the Padres didn’t exactly make the Giants regret moving on.
On Saturday night in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers, Ray lasted just 2 and 2/3 innings. He allowed two earned runs, gave up four hits, walked two and struck out one, with Jackson Chourio’s home run doing the bulk of the damage. Milwaukee had him on the ropes throughout the outing, and he was fortunate to leave without an even uglier stat line after exiting with the bases loaded in the third inning.
That kind of performance fit the shape of Ray’s season after San Francisco dealt him at the trade deadline. In nine starts with the Padres, he posted a 5.02 ERA, walked 27 batters in 43 innings and struck out 33.
The Giants had already seen this version of Ray before, too. In 2025, he turned in an All-Star-caliber first half before fading badly after the break and looking like he was running on empty by season’s end.
For San Francisco, that trade now looks better by the day. The Giants landed right-handed pitcher Miguel Mendez and shortstop Joniel Hernandez in the deal, two prospects who could eventually help the club while Ray heads toward free agency and likely another team.
None of that means Saturday was the last word on Ray in October. Barry Zito, who was mentioned recently, had a nearly identical start for the Giants in the 2012 NLDS, working 2 and 2/3 innings and allowing two earned runs in Game 4 against the Cincinnati Reds.
San Francisco’s bats rescued him that night with eight runs in an 8-3 win. So if Ray gets another shot, he wouldn’t be the first veteran lefty to stumble early and still end up part of a bigger playoff story.
But the larger takeaway is hard to miss: the Giants have spent too many recent seasons trying to patch together a rotation rather than truly build one. Logan Webb gives them an ace, but in a playoff setup a pitcher like Ray has to be more like a No. 3 or No. 4 starter. Maybe things would have looked different if San Francisco had been more aggressive in finding a No. 2 and No. 3 to bridge the gap behind Webb instead of leaning on him and Ray at the top and filling in with arms like Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser.
That’s in the past now. The Giants can only move forward, take the lesson, and keep looking for ways to strengthen the rotation.
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