Detroit Tigers at San Francisco Giants

The opener might be back in vogue for the Giants. With their rotation depth thinned by the departure of left-hander Robbie Ray and right-hander Tyler Mahle at the Trade Deadline, the Giants are expected to get more creative with their pitching usage over the final two months of the regular season. The unconventional route certainly proved effective in a 5-2 series-opening win over the Tigers on Friday night at Oracle Park. San Francisco’s first opening assignment of the year went to right-handed reliever JT Brubaker, who gave up one run in the top of the first on a pair of singles and an RBI grounder by Dillon Dingler. Fellow righty Adrian Houser replaced Brubaker in the second and took on the bulk role, yielding one run over five innings to earn his first win since May 17. “Houser set the tone for the game,” manager Tony Vitello said. “He threw the bulk of the game and really kind of set the tone of the game like you want a starter to do. I would just say overall the game was just a good team win.” Keaton Winn, Sam Hentges and Dylan Smith combined to pitch the final three innings for the Giants. Smith, who was acquired from the Tigers in exchange for cash considerations in late March, worked around a two-out walk to Riley Greene to post a scoreless ninth and pick up his second save of the year. Rafael Devers and Willy Adames both homered to back the Giants’ bullpenning efforts, while Jung Hoo Lee chipped in with a two-run single in the second inning.