Webb resolute, if frustrated, during ongoing rough stretch

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants have relied on Logan Webb to be a pillar of consistency atop their starting rotation, but the two-time All-Star has hit a rare rough patch this month.

Webb was tagged for six runs over four innings in Friday night’s 8-1 series-opening loss to the Mets at Oracle Park, matching his shortest start of the season and intensifying the Giants’ recent rotation woes.

The 28-year-old right-hander gave up eight hits -- including a solo shot to Francisco Lindor and a two-run single to Brandon Nimmo -- in his third consecutive subpar outing for the Giants (54-50), who have lost seven of their last nine games to slip one game behind the Padres for the third National League Wild Card spot.

Webb has now allowed 16 earned runs on 25 hits over 15 1/3 innings over his last three starts against the Mets, Blue Jays and Dodgers. That’s the most earned runs he’s surrendered over a three-start stretch in his seven-year career, causing his overall ERA to rise from 2.62 to 3.38 over the last couple of weeks.

It’s only the third time in Webb’s career that he’s yielded four or more earned runs in three straight outings, leaving the Giants’ homegrown ace with no easy answers for his struggles on the mound.

"If I knew, I would have fixed it by now,” Webb said. “It’s just not good.”

"Sometimes you’re going to go through some stretches,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Guys are on you a little bit. They got on him early. He was better in the second [inning] and then they scored some runs on him again. It’s never going to be the same all the time. Just a tough stretch for him right now.”

Webb’s uncharacteristic slump comes amid a tough stretch for the Giants’ rotation, which is currently down to three healthy starters now that Landen Roupp is on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation and Hayden Birdsong is down at Triple-A Sacramento trying to sort out his command issues.

Those setbacks will likely compel the Giants to seek out more rotation depth ahead of Thursday’s Trade Deadline, but they’ll need their incumbent veterans -- Webb, Robbie Ray and Justin Verlander -- to continue to produce and stabilize the staff in the meantime.

"We’ve got to put the team in a better spot,” Webb said. “I’ve got to be better. It sucks losing Roupp. I think he’s honestly been throwing the best out of all of us right now. It sucks losing him. I know he’s upset about it. But we’ve all just got to step up and be better than what I did today.”

Webb leads the Majors with 135 2/3 innings this season, but he couldn’t get deep into the game on Friday, needing 81 pitches to get through four innings in his shortest start since May 21. The Giants ended up using four relievers to cover the remaining five innings, which is far from ideal considering they’re planning to hold a bullpen game to cover Birdsong’s spot on Sunday.

Webb typically excels at inducing soft contact with his sinker-changeup combination, but he felt he left too many pitches over the plate, which allowed the Mets to hit him hard. New York also stole three bases off Webb, which was unusual considering he entered Friday having permitted only four steals through his first 21 starts of the year.

Melvin thought Webb’s timing might have been off, though Webb said Mets first-base coach Antoan Richardson -- who served on former manager Gabe Kapler’s coaching staff in San Francisco -- may have picked up something in his delivery, which was an issue for him earlier in his career.

While Webb has shouldered a heavy workload for the Giants in each of the last three seasons, he said he doesn’t believe the recent dip in performance is due to fatigue.

"I feel fine,” Webb said. “It’s what I get paid to do. I’ve just got to be better.”