The Giants dropped the finale of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, falling 3-1 to complete a sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers — but the loss came with a genuine bright spot in rookie left-hander Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson.Making his fifth career start, Wilkinson delivered his best outing yet at the major league level, throwing five shutout innings on 76 pitches, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out six. He lowered his ERA to 3.65, continuing a stretch of strong recent work that included three scoreless innings against the San Diego Padres and two scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in relief appearances just before this start.
“He was outstanding, back at it on the starting deal,” manager Tony Vitello said. “To be honest with you, he didn’t have a whole lot of trouble to navigate because of how well he threw the ball. But the times there were things brewing, he put an end to it.”
Vitello also explained the decision to pull Wilkinson after just 76 pitches, given the rookie hadn’t exceeded 60 to 63 pitches in recent weeks.
“It lined...