Giants’ Kyle Harrison dissects rough third outing in loss to Padres – NBC Sports

Kyle Harrison was in elementary school when Bryce Harper broke into the big leagues. If all goes according to plan for the rookie, he’ll still be in the big leagues when Harper shows up on Hall of Fame ballots one day. 

You would think that Harrison, with a few days to think about it, would be OK with the fact that the first home run he allowed in the big leagues came to one of this generation’s greats, but as he sat down at Oracle Park earlier this week and talked about his debut in Philadelphia, Harrison said that wasn’t the case. “That’s just not me,” he said of that mindset.

“That’s just the competitive nature of a pitcher,” Harrison continued. “We want to be great every time we go out.”

Harrison reached that standard in his first home start, which was historic in a lot of ways, but on Saturday he got a reminder of how tough life is for MLB starters. If you’re off even a little bit, hitters will make you pay, especially hitters like the ones the San Diego Padres have. Harrison left some pitches up Saturday and the Padres hit four homers and put six runs on Harrison’s line in a game the Giants lost 6-1.

While speaking with reporters in San Diego after the game, Harrison said repeatedly that he didn’t give his team a chance to win. The Giants didn’t score until the ninth, so it certainly wasn’t all on a player making his third career start, but he took it hard. 

“I’d say I’ve had my fair share of these nights but ultimately at this level, it’s different. That’s not acceptable in my eyes, going out there and giving up six,” Harrison said. “That’s not really giving the ballclub a chance to win. I’m just going to put my head down and figure out what was bad this outing and try to give my best the next one.”

Harrison’s competitiveness is part of what had Giants officials so excited about the top prospect over the last couple of years, and when he got roughed up a bit this spring, some quietly felt it was a good thing for his long-term development. Harrison had dominated the low minors and the Giants felt it was a positive to learn how to deal with failure. 

It’s a bit tougher when you’re trying to learn lessons as your team is fighting for a playoff spot, but manager Gabe Kapler didn’t see anything Saturday that concerned him. Harrison got beat by a good group of hitters, and Kapler relayed that message to the rookie after the game. 

“I’ve seen him when it’s not going to work,” Kapler told reporters in San Diego. “I saw him in spring training and there were outings when he didn’t have his best stuff or he was (missing big) and falling behind in counts and walking dudes. During those times, I thought to myself, ‘Kyle’s not ready. This is not going to work.’ And I can say the same for some of his outings in the minor leagues.

“But what he did (tonight) is going to work. I’m very confident it’s going to work. A couple guys who are some of the best hitters out there did some damage against him and then he fell…