When will Kyle Harrison make his next start?

SAN DIEGO — Someday, the Giants believe, Kyle Harrison will get the Cy Young votes if he doesn’t become the first pitcher since Tim Lincecum to bring the material back to Oracle Park. He did nothing to dispel that idea in an electrifying home debut.

And for his next act, the Giants’ top prospect will put his Cy Young skills to the test against the favorite for the award this year. After his 6⅓ shutout and 11 strikeouts against the Reds, Harrison will face Padres left-hander Blake Snell on Saturday, the club announced.

Snell leads all NL starters in bWAR and ERA and ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings.

Harrison threw a season-high 91 pitches on Monday and has often enjoyed five or more days off in the minor leagues. But manager Gabe Kapler has indicated they are ready to use his left arm all the way, a partial reward for closely monitoring his underage workload earlier this season.

“What I would say is when you’re in your early to mid-twenties, your body can handle a lot of things,” Kapler said.

Alex Cobb, in his thirties, will also remain on regular rest and start the series finale on Sunday. He threw 131 pitches Wednesday while going one no-hitter.

It’s twice in the space of a week that Kapler, despite his reputation for paying close attention to pitch counts and workloads, has pushed his starter out of his comfort zone. It took a change of heart, Kapler admitted, from the start of his managerial career.

“I would have been less comfortable five years ago with those two movements than I am today,” Kapler said. “And where I am today is: good with that. The game kind of demanded it. Cobb was making a historic outing. Harrison was making a historic outing. You don’t get them very often. It was good. The bottom line is that it’s almost always the players who dictate the movement. If they are the right person to retire the next batters, it will be unusual for us to go after them.

Crawford Update

Suffering from a forearm strain that has compromised his ability to catch fastballs, Brandon Crawford has expressed optimism about his return this weekend.