Tyler Mahle adds more movement to the slide

MESA, Arizona — Carrying a modified slider in his bag, Tyler Mahle made his first appearance in a Giants uniform Saturday afternoon at Hohokam Stadium, pitching a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

Mahle, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract to join San Francisco this offseason, has been on a slide of sorts for much of his career. But the current pitch, which he threw six times Saturday, was shaky compared to last season.

Against the Athletics, Mahle produced eight inches of glove movement. In 2025, by contrast, Mahle produced only 3.2 inches of horizontal movement with his slider. So far, the benefits have been encouraging. Three of the six sliders he threw resulted in swings and misses (one hit All-Star Jacob Wilson) and one landed for a strike.

“Last year, I had a cutter. “But getting (the slider) to extend the glove side a little bit is something I’ve worked hard on.”

Mahle tried to throw a sweeper in 2023 before Tommy John surgery, and while the pitch produced 8.9 inches of horizontal movement, the right-hander believes the pitch could have led to elbow pain because he threw the pitch in a different direction than his normal arm path. A modified slider, in contrast, throws it “with the feel of a hard curveball.”

“I’ve faced him a few times before,” said hunter Eric Haase. “He had a noticeable step up in his slider, if you want to put it that way. When he threw the pitches today, the command was amazing, even his pitchers. Everything you could hope to see from him. If we can do that translate to 150 (innings) this year, I think he’ll be in a good place.”

The 31-year-old Mahle missed his first round of the Cactus League because he was feeling under the weather. Although he did not start, Mahle should not be far behind the other starters.

“I think there’s something about a guy like Mahle who starts a game and has a cool impact,” manager Tony Vitello said. “It wasn’t a perfect inning, but just the way it was.”

McDonald continues to impress with good outings

Right-hander Trevor McDonald made his latest appearance on the Opening Day roster, throwing two complete innings with three strikeouts.

McDonald’s average sinker speed against the Athletics (93.4 mph) wasn’t as hot as his first outing in a Cactus League game (95.2 mph), but he put his slider and slider to good use and produced four whiffs.

“When these come out of the barn and fill up the area, it’s very, very hard on them,” Haase said.

While Baseball Savant listed McDonald as throwing a curveball, McDonald confirmed that he actually throws a slider.

Haase made an impression with a grand slam

Following Victor Bericoto’s no-doubt hit on Friday, Haase hit a home run against the Athletics’ Eduarniel Núñez, one of two hits on the day.

“Just trying to get something in the air, and to get it out is always beneficial,” Haase said. “The track was better and the time was much better today.”

Daniel Susac appears to be the favorite to make the Opening Day roster as Patrick Bailey’s backup catcher because of his Rule 5 draft status, but Haase has a compelling case in his own right. The 33-year-old Haase is the most experienced catcher in camp, having played in 383 games over eight seasons in the majors.

“It doesn’t matter how many years you’ve played in the league. You get to a point where you don’t get results quickly or you don’t meet a few, you start to put pressure on,” said Vitello. “Even (in batting practice) on the field, Haase was putting a little pressure on the field. But I think his determination overshadowed that. He just came out here and played ball.”