Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Allows two runs vs. Philadelphia
Rotowire
Birdsong was charged with two earned runs on two hits and a walk over one inning during Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Phillies.
The 23-year-old reliever entered the game in the seventh, giving up his first runs of the season on a two-run homer by Bryce Harper. Pitching on one day's rest, Birdsong struggled with control, throwing 12 of his 24 pitches for strikes Tuesday. It was also the first time that he pitched fewer than two innings this season. The right-hander has recorded a 1.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 9:4 K:BB with three holds and one hit batter over 10 innings in five appearances.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Still unscored upon
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Birdsong picked up a hold during Sunday's 5-4 win over the Yankees, tossing two scoreless innings while striking out three and hitting one batter.
The 23-year-old entered the game in the sixth frame and retired all three batters he faced. The right-hander later hit Aaron Judge with a pitch in the seventh but escaped the inning without allowing a hit. Birdsong was efficient, facing seven batters and throwing 15 of his 20 pitches for strikes. After falling short in his bid for a spot in the Giants' Opening Day rotation, Birdsong has been dynamite in relief, having yet to allow a run while posting an 0.89 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB with three holds across nine innings over four appearances. The Giants don't seem motivated to have Birdsong get stretched back out for a starting role anytime soon, as manager Bob Melvin told Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News on April 5 that the right-hander is being treated as a true reliever at this point after San Francisco chose not to have him piggyback No. 5 starter Landen Roupp in his first start earlier this month.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Strong start to season continues
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Birdsong threw three scoreless innings during Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Reds, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out two.
Birdsong threw 25 of his 39 pitches for strikes during his third appearance of the season. The 23-year-old gave up a double to begin the ninth frame, but he kept his composure and retired Cincinnati's next three hitters. Manager Bob Melvin said postgame, "The velocity's been there out of the bullpen as well, all his pitches working -- he just looks like he's really confident," according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Birdsong has recorded a 0.00 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 6:3 K:BB over seven innings so far this season.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Makes first appearance of 2025
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Birdsong threw two scoreless innings during Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Astros, allowing two hits with two strikeouts and a walk.
Birdsong made his first appearance of 2025 and was the last member of the Opening Day roster to play this season. The right-handed reliever started the sixth frame and later got out of a two-out jam. He walked the first batter of the seventh inning before retiring the Astros' next three hitters, finishing with 26 pitches across two innings. Birdsong was neck-and-neck with Landen Roupp for the fifth-starter role in spring training before being moved to the bullpen. However, the Giants' early success has made it more difficult to utilize the 23-year-old Birdsong, who made 16 starts last season, registering a 4.75 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 88:43 K:BB over 72 innings.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Makes San Francisco's roster
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Birdsong has made the Giants' Opening Day roster, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Birdsong has been in a battle with Landen Roupp for the final spot in the Giants' rotation, and while the team has yet to confirm it, it appears Birdsong will break camp as the fifth starter and Roupp will be used in the bullpen. The 23-year-old Birdsong earned the spot following a fantastic Cactus League showing that saw him allow just one run with an 18:0 K:BB over 12 innings of work.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Starting season in bullpen
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Birdsong will serve out of the Giants' bullpen for the start of the 2025 season after Landen Roupp was named as the fifth starter Monday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Birdsong and Roupp were the final two candidates for the Giants' fifth-starter spot after Kyle Harrison was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday. Birdsong recorded a 0.75 ERA across 12 Cactus League innings this spring, but he'll begin the 2025 regular season in the bullpen, possibly in a long reliever role.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: OK after fingernail issue
Rotowire
Birdsong is expected to be fine after dealing with a cracked right middle fingernail during an appearance Sunday in an exhibition game versus Triple-A Sacramento, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Birdsong noted that it's something he battles with a lot and he expects to be fine after getting a fake fingernail put on the finger. The right-hander has made the Giants' Opening Day roster and is the team's presumed fifth starter, although the club has not yet confirmed what Birdsong's role will be.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Still in mix for fifth-starter role
Rotowire
Birdsong remains neck-and-neck with Landen Roupp for the fifth-starter role, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Birdsong and Roupp are the final candidates for the fifth-starter spot after the Giants optioned Kyle Harrison to Triple-A Sacramento. Birdsong has made four appearances during Cactus League play, recording a 0.75 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 18:0 K:BB over 12 frames. The 23-year-old made 16 starts for San Francisco during the 2024 campaign, registering a 4.75 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 88:43 K:BB over 72 innings. The Giants will likely take a look at both candidates during Sunday's tune-up game against Triple-A Sacramento, which may help decide who wins the final starting spot.
Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Generating buzz in rotation bid
Rotowire
Birdsong struck out eight over five scoreless innings against the A's on Sunday and now has a 0.75 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 18:0 K:BB over 12 Cactus League innings this spring.
The 23-year-old right-hander is making quite the case for the No. 5 spot in the San Francisco rotation, though manager Bob Melvin stressed after Sunday's exhibition that "to this point, nothing's been decided," per Maria Guardado of MLB.com. Landen Roupp was seen as the frontrunner for the fifth-starter role earlier in spring training, and lefty Kyle Harrison remains in the mix as well in what Guardado described as the "fiercest competition in Giants camp." However, Birdsong might have the most upside for the Giants, and he is arguably the most interesting of the bunch from a fantasy perspective.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Still in mix for rotation
Rotowire
Birdsong has a 2.89 ERA and a 13:1 K:BB this spring, including an outing against minor leaguers that doesn't count toward his Cactus League stats, and he is in the mix for a rotation spot, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
It seemed like Birdsong would be behind Kyle Harrison and maybe even Landen Roupp in the competition for the fifth starter's spot, but Birdsong has pitched well enough to keep his name in the mix. In fact, Birdsong was so efficient in his most recent appearance Monday, throwing 45 pitches over three scoreless innings, that he went back out to the bullpen to keep throwing in order to meet his pitch count requirement, per delos Santos. Birdsong threw 129.1 innings last season, significantly more than Roupp (76.2 innings) and also more than Harrison (124.1 innings), and is up over 10 unofficial innings this spring, so he won't miss out on the rotation due to any any durability concerns. Birdsong's control was poor in 2024, particularly in the majors (13.7 BB%), but if he has indeed taken a step forward in that aspect of his game, he could be in for a breakout 2025 season.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Might not make rotation
Rotowire
Birdsong could be on the outside looking in for a spot in the Giants' rotation, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Birdsong flashed plenty of promise in 2024, particularly from a strikeouts perspective, posting a 4.75 ERA and 88:43 K:BB over 72 innings covering 16 regular-season starts. However, with the signing of Justin Verlander and expected return of Jordan Hicks to the rotation, Birdsong could begin the 2025 campaign back at Triple-A Sacramento. It might not be the worst thing since Birdsong still needs to work on his control, but he has some of the best upside of any of the Giants' starting pitchers and still figures to spend ample time in the major-league rotation.
Birdsong (5-6) allowed three runs on four hits and three walks over 4.1 innings Sunday, striking out 11 and taking a loss against St. Louis.
Through four innings, Birdsong had given up one run on a solo shot by Brendan Donovan. The Cardinals then tacked on two more in the fifth inning. Despite recording only 13 outs, Birdsong punched out 11 and racked up 19 whiffs. He generated 12 of those whiffs via the slider. Birdsong ends his rookie season with a 4.75 ERA and 88:43 K:BB through 72 innings. He completed six innings in just one of his 16 MLB starts.
Birdsong (5-5) allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out six over five innings to earn the win over the Diamondbacks on Monday.
Birdsong has followed up a seven-start winless stretch with back-to-back victories. The rookie right-hander has allowed seven runs over 18.2 innings across four starts in September. He's at a 4.66 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 77:40 K:BB through 67.2 innings over 15 starts this season. Birdsong is tentatively projected to make his last start of the regular season at home versus the Cardinals.
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