While Daniel Vogelbach earned all the headlines, Marco Gonzales had himself a very nice spring training. He’s a couple years removed from Tommy John surgery now and he came to Arizona completely healthy. Jerry Dipoto has raved about the growth and progress Gonzales showed this spring. Those two factors plus the circumstances of his acquisition last year have pushed the expectations for him through the roof. That’s a lot of weight to carry into your first start of the season.
To his credit, Gonzales met those expectations head on. It may not have been the most dominant start, but it was the longest outing of his career and he managed to hold the Giants in check until the seventh inning.