The Farhan Zaidi era in San Francisco baseball debuts at newly renamed Oracle Park when the Giants play their home opener Friday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The home crowd will greet a Giants team that lost its first two series of the season, both on the road, dropping three of four to the San Diego Padres before losing two in a row against the Los Angeles Dodgers after a series-opening win Monday.
The Rays, on the other hand, took advantage of getting seven straight at home to open the season. They won series over the Houston Astros (3-1) and Colorado Rockies (2-1).
The pitching matchup Friday pairs right-handers who have little or no experience against the opponent.
Tyler Glasnow (1-0, 1.80) is scheduled to make his second start for the Rays. His first was a beauty, as he limited the Astros to one run and six hits in five innings in a 3-1 win Saturday.
Glasnow, who pitched previously for the Pittsburgh Pirates, has thrown a total of two innings in his career against the Giants. Both came in relief in a 5-0 loss last May, shutting out San Francisco on two hits while striking out three.
The Giants will counter with Dereck Rodriguez (1-0, 3.60), who like Glasnow enjoyed a sparkling season debut. He was the winning pitcher in a 3-2 win over the Padres on Saturday, allowing two runs and four hits in five innings.
Rodriguez never went head-to-head with the Rays as a rookie last season, but appeared to enjoy facing American League competition. He started three games in interleague play, going 1-0 with a 1.40 ERA against Houston, Oakland and Texas.
One hitter the 26-year-old could find himself dueling is Rays infielder Christian Arroyo, a former Giants prospect who hit .192 in his first major league season for San Francisco in 2017.
The former first-round pick out of Florida high school ball was a part of the package dealt by the previous Giants decision-makers in exchange for Evan Longoria in December of 2017.
The Giants turned over their operation to Zaidi during the offseason, and he wasted little time making his mark on the team. But instead of jettisoning some high-priced veteran talent, as many had expected, he started slowly, bringing in Yangervis Solarte, Gerardo Parra, Connor Joe, Michael Reed, Drew Pomeranz and, earlier this week, outfielder Kevin Pillar from Toronto.
Pillar made his Giants starting debut Wednesday night in Los Angeles, going 0-for-4.
He was slotted immediately into center field, which forced Giants manager Bruce Bochy to make two other moves less than a week into the season, shifting Steven Duggar from center to right, and Parra from right to left.
“I’m accepting to all of it,” Duggar, who had been labeled the club’s center fielder of the future just a week earlier, insisted to reporters. “I’m excited for the opportunity.”
The game will be Longoria’s first against his former team.
Only seven Rays remain from their 2017 club, including outfielder Kevin Kiermaier, whose fast start has included a three-run homer in Monday’s 7-1 win over Colorado.
“I’ll have respect for that man forever,” Kiermaier gushed to reporters this week of Longoria. “He showed me how to be a true professional on and off the field. Now I’m trying to pass on the things he taught me to other guys.”
The teams haven’t met since 2016, when the Giants swept a three-game series at Tampa Bay.
Longoria went 3-for-11 for the Rays in that series with a double and a home run.