In the first two games of the Gabe Kapler era, the San Francisco Giants have used three of their top four starting pitchers and another arm still competing for a rotation spot.

While creative, the unconventional strategy has not been remotely effective. Kapler’s Giants have been blown out on consecutive days.

Johnny Cueto, Drew Smyly, Kevin Gausman and Tyler Anderson have all taken the mound in the first 18 innings of the regular season, but the Giants have nothing to show for their efforts as they fell to 0-2 with a 9-1 loss to the Dodgers Friday.

For the second straight game, Giants relievers let a tight game get out of hand, Giants defenders made sloppy mistakes and Giants hitters rarely made opposing pitchers sweat.

“I don’t think anybody is panicking over one game, two games,” Kapler said postgame. “We could very easily turn this around and get right back on track. We’re going to stay calm, we’re going to stay measured, we’re going to stay focused and intense and we’re going to be just fine.”

With only three weeks to prepare for a condensed 60-game regular season, Kapler promised the team would prioritize pitcher health, eschew traditional roles and open up opportunities for inexperienced players. Against a loaded Dodgers squad that features at least 12 position players who would be full-time starters for the Giants, Kapler’s team has been outmanned.

With two games left in the series and several of their top pitchers needing a rest, the Giants may be even more overmatched.

Outside of a solo home run to right field hit by rookie outfielder Jaylin Davis, the Giants hardly troubled Dodgers starter Ross Stripling, who tossed seven innings of one-run ball to pick up the win.

Kapler said prior to Friday’s game that he eventually hopes to use a more conventional starting rotation, but with some starters still building stamina and others competing for roles, it’s too soon to name his pitchers ahead of time.

“We look at our roster construction and our pitching staff in general and we believe in a longer, slower ramp to get guys healthy and to keep guys healthy and strong throughout a season,” Kapler said. “So we lean on that first and foremost and then we have a group of starters that can be mixed and matched a little bit so we’re taking that approach as well.”

Gausman, who signed a one-year, $9.5 million deal to fortify the rotation this offseason, made his Giants debut out of the bullpen against Los Angeles and allowed six hits and three runs (two earned) in four innings. It was curious to see the right-hander appear in relief after the team billed him as a starter during spring training, but with his club trailing 2-1 after two innings, Kapler felt Gausman gave the Giants the best chance to keep the game within striking distance.

The decision to have Anderson open the game wasn’t made public until a few hours before first pitch when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters he would have superstar right fielder Mookie Betts bat leadoff against a left-handed starter.

Betts, who signed a 12-year, $365 million extension with Los Angeles on Wednesday, went 1-for-6, but Thursday’s leadoff hitter, Max Muncy, didn’t need the table set to devour Giants pitchers. Muncy went 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double and a walk.

His first home run put the Dodgers on the board in the first against Anderson, who was essentially afforded a tryout for a starting rotation spot.

“Tyler is super, super confident,” Kapler said pregame. “He wants the opportunity to establish himself as a guy that we depend on every time through the rotation. We discussed that if he pitches like he’s capable of pitching, if he demonstrates his full health, those goals and aspirations are definitely within his reach.”

Anderson’s appearance marked his first on the mound in a major league game for the first time since May 3, 2019 as the left-hander underwent season-ending knee surgery last June. The Giants initially added the former Rockies starter on a waiver claim late last year with the hope he could work his way into the team’s rotation by the middle of the season, but the layoff spurred by the coronavirus pandemic allowed Anderson to claim an Opening Day roster spot.

It’s unlikely Kapler will be inspired to install Anderson to a permanent starting role after Friday’s outing as he exited after walking three hitters and retiring only five of the 11 Dodgers he faced. Anderson left the game having allowed one run, but was charged with two after reliever Rico García, another former Rockies pitcher, allowed a RBI single to Justin Turner on the first pitch he threw.

“For me personally, I take pride in throwing strikes and executing pitches and I don’t know for sure, but I feel like that’s as bad as I’ve ever walked guys in that short a period of time,” Anderson said. “So I was really frustrated about that.”