Birdsong (1-0) picked up the win in Monday's 5-2 victory over the Brewers, allowing a hit and two walks while striking out four in three innings.
The 23-year-old recorded his first big-league win as a reliever, entering the game in the sixth frame for Robbie Ray. Birdsong threw 30 of his 49 pitches for strikes and generated nine whiffs. The right-hander joined the bullpen after Landen Roupp was named the fifth starter, but Birdsong has been impressive in his new role, posting a 1.38 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and a 13:6 K:BB across 13 innings in six appearances. The Giants will likely continue to use Birdsong in a long-relief role, with manager Bob Melvin saying Monday, "We're looking for spots like that for him. It worked out really well today," according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.
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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: 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
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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
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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.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Generating buzz in rotation bid
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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: Collects fifth win
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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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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: One out short of quality start
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Birdsong (4-5) earned the win Wednesday against Baltimore, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks across 5.2 innings. He struck out three.
Birdsong fell just shy of his second quality start of 2024, as he got pulled in favor of Erik Miller after giving up a single to Colton Cowser in the sixth inning. Miller immediately yielded a double to Ryan O'Hearn, plating Cowser as Birdsong's third earned run. In his last three starts, Birdsong has a 3.29 ERA with an 11:8 K:BB across 13.2 innings. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Diamondbacks in Arizona his next time out.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Walks three in loss
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Birdsong (3-3) allowed a run on three hits and three walks while striking out five over 4.2 innings to take the loss versus the Athletics on Saturday.
Compared to his previous two outings, this was a fairly good performance. Birdsong avoided giving up a home run, but the Giants didn't give him any run support, leaving the rookie with a third straight loss. He's now at a 5.01 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 49:22 K:BB through 41.1 innings over nine starts this season. Birdsong looks to be the Giants' top option for a fifth starter, and he's tentatively projected to make his next start at Seattle.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Takes second loss
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Birdsong (3-2) allowed five runs on five hits and a walk while striking out five over 4.1 innings to take the loss versus the Tigers on Sunday.
Birdsong has stumbled in consecutive starts since joining the Giants' rotation on a more firm basis, allowing 12 runs over his last 6.1 innings. His command was better Sunday with 51 of his 85 pitches going for strikes, but he gave up multiple home runs for the second outing in a row. The right-hander is now at a 5.40 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 44:19 K:BB through 36.2 innings over eight starts in the majors. Birdsong is tentatively scheduled for a road start in Oakland for his next outing, though he may be on a short leash if his performance doesn't improve soon.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Struggles with command in loss
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Birdsong (3-1) took the loss against the Nationals on Tuesday, allowing seven runs on five hits and three walks with one strikeout over two innings.
Birdsong scuffled right from the onset, leading to the shortest of his seven major-league appearances thus far. He struggled with his command, issuing three walks and allowing two homers while generating only two swinging strikes on 66 pitches. While one rough outing doesn't negate the success he had entering Tuesday, the rookie has yielded 18 free passes across 32.1 innings and will likely experience some growing pains on nights when he doesn't get whiffs. He'll try to rebound in a home matchup against the Tigers this weekend.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Recalled ahead of Tuesday's start
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The Giants recalled Birdsong from Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Birdsong will rejoin the San Francisco rotation Tuesday in Washington and has a shot to cement himself as a starter for the big club for the remainder of the season. The rookie right-hander has impressed in his first six major-league outings, collecting a 2.97 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 38:15 K:BB in 30.1 innings.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Earns spot in rotation
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The Giants are expected to recall Birdsong from Single-A San Jose in the near future, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
After he was returned to the minors upon serving as the Giants' 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader with the Rockies, Birdsong's next opportunity to return to the big leagues appeared to be in flux while Alex Cobb (hip/blister) was on the cusp of returning from the 60-day injured list. However, with Cobb being dealt to the Guardians on Tuesday, Birdsong now looks set to rejoin the Giants the next time the team needs a fifth starter. Birdsong, who has a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 33 strikeouts in 25.2 innings over his last five MLB starts, could be recalled as soon as this weekend to make a start in Cincinnati.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Hurls five shutout frames in win
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Birdsong (3-0) picked up the win over the Rockies on Saturday, allowing three hits and three walks over five shutout innings while striking out eight.
Birdsong once again proved he has the stuff to stick around in the big leagues, producing 20 swings-and-misses over five shutout innings to improve to 3-0 on the campaign. The right-hander has not allowed more than three runs in any of his five starts this season, and he hasn't surrendered more than three hits in three consecutive outings. He's gone 2-0 over that latter stretch while posting a 23:8 K:BB.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Named 27th man
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Birdsong has been appointed the Giants' 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader against the Rockies. He'll start Game 2.
Birdsong will temporarily join the Giants' active roster to make his sixth big-league start of the year. Birdsong has a 2-0 record with a 3.55 ERA and 30:12 K:BB in 25.1 innings with San Francisco and will likely return to the minors after Saturday's start.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Punches out 12
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Birdsong (2-0) allowed two runs on two hits and two walks over six innings Sunday, striking out 12 and earning a win over the Rockies.
Birdsong carved through Colorado's lineup and turned in the best start of his young MLB career. Prior to Sunday's performance, he hadn't struck out more than five batters in an outing. The only damage against him was a two-run shot by Brendan Rodgers in the fourth inning. Birdsong forced a whopping 27 swinging strikes, including 12 with the curveball and 10 with the slider. He's sporting a 3.55 ERA with a 30:12 K:BB through 25.1 innings. Birdsong's next outing is expected to be a rematch at home against the Rockies.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Fans five in no-decision
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Birdsong did not factor in the decision during Sunday's loss to Cleveland. He allowed two runs on five hits and two walks over 4.2 innings while recording five strikeouts.
Birdsong kept the Guardians quiet until he coughed up a pair of runs in the fourth inning. He's recorded exactly five punchouts in each of his first three big-league starts and has yet to go deeper than five innings. Birdsong generated 13 swinging strikes, including five with his slider. He'll carry a 4.40 ERA into his next start, which is projected to be at home against the Twins.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Making next start Tuesday
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Birdsong is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday in Atlanta, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
The banged-up Giants have only two members of their Opening Day rotation (Logan Webb and Jordan Hicks) available at the moment, so San Francisco should have a spot available for Birdsong until at least three of Kyle Harrison (ankle), Blake Snell (groin), Alex Cobb (hip), Robbie Ray (elbow) and Keaton Winn (elbow) come back from the injured list. After being expedited to the big leagues last week following just two starts at Triple-A Sacramento, Birdsong demonstrated shaky command in his MLB debut against the Cubs on Wednesday, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks over 4.2 innings. On a positive note, Birdsong induced nine swings and misses and finished with five punchouts. His long-term outlook remains promising, but Birdsong shapes up as a risky fantasy option heading into what will likely be a two-start week. After facing off against Atlanta, the 23-year-old right-hander lines up for another turn Sunday in Cleveland.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Allows three runs in debut
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Birdsong did not factor into the decision in a win over the Cubs on Wednesday, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks over 4.2 innings while striking out five.
Birdsong began to struggle with his command in the second inning, issuing walks to two of the first three batters he faced while also allowing a runner to advance on a wild pitch. He would go on to surrender one run in the frame before pitching a scoreless third, but he was again tagged for a run in both the fourth and fifth frames. The rookie right-hander had an up-and-down MLB debut, even producing nine whiffs on the night, though he'll need to work on his command if he hopes to stick around in the Giants' rotation.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Moves up to Triple-A
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The Giants promoted Birdsong from Double-A Richmond to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday.
Birdsong will get his first taste of the Pacific Coast League after he delivered a 2.05 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 61:21 K:BB across 48.1 innings over his 11 starts this season after he returned to Richmond following a rough eight-start stint the Eastern League late in the 2023 campaign. The 22-year-old righty is regarded as one of the Giants' premier pitching prospects and could have a chance to make his MLB debut later this season if he holds his own at the Triple-A level and if the big club continues to be hit hard by injuries to its rotation.
