SAN FRANCISCO — Hayden Birdsong of the Giants got here to Oracle Park Sunday realizing he wasn’t going to pitch within the closing sport of a three-game collection towards the Athletics.
And he’s fantastic with that.
Issues are extra unsure with Jordan Hicks. Whereas going again to the bullpen isn’t one thing Hicks needed, he’s not going to make any waves.
Birdsong will make his first begin of the season Tuesday night time towards the Kansas Metropolis Royals, the second of a three-game collection to shut out the homestand and previous a nine-game highway journey to Washington, Detroit and MIami.
Giants supervisor Bob Melvin introduced the change Saturday. Birdsong and Hicks mentioned their position reversal for the primary time Sunday earlier than Justin Verlander took the mound to try to end off a sweep of the A’s.
“I’m definitely excited. It’s what I planned to do at the beginning of the year, but circumstances didn’t let me start, but our job here is to win games,” Birdsong stated.
As a quantity innings reliever, Birdsong, 23, is 1-0 with a 2.31 earned run common with 10 walks and 25 strikeouts.
Melvin has stated all season Birdsong could be a front-line starter sooner or later, and now that point has come. And he’s hopeful the stint within the bullpen will repay now that he’s again within the rotation.
“Just warming up and being ready to go all the time, it helps me learn that I need to bounce back as best I can,” Birdsong stated. “I’ve learned a lot about recovery and stuff like that.”
Birdsong’s final outing was 65 pitches in an 8-7 loss to Arizona, and Melvin urged he’d in all probability go 10 pitches or so past that Tuesday night time if issues go as deliberate.
“We’re going to find out,” Birdsong stated.
Melvin stated Saturday Hicks accepted his change with the proper perspective, and the 28-year-old proper hander was philosophical when talking with reporters.
“We have a real good ballclub here, and things just weren’t going the way we wanted as a starting pitcher,” Hicks stated. “So I’ve got to turn the page now and do some bullpen work. Whatever the team needs. I’m not giving up on myself. I want to be a starting pitcher. That’s what I wanted to do in the big leagues.”
Hicks was 1-5 with 6.55 earned run common in 5 begins. Analytics would recommend he pitched with some unhealthy luck with numerous seeing-eye hits. He recovered from some early struggles in video games to get higher as they went alongside — his first-inning earned run common was 12.00 and batters hit .442 (19-for-43) within the first body.
“I took pride in going deeper into games and getting past the five-inning mark,” Hicks stated. “That’s the hardest part, because that’s kind of how I was evaluating myself — how deep can I go into games, limit damage, keep us in games. In the bad ones, I felt like I had a bad innings, ground balls that got through the infield.”
Schmitt making progress: Utility infielder Casey Schmitt has missed 27 video games with a left indirect pressure however may very well be nearing a return. He’s 1-for-8 with Triple-A Sacramento however was at Oracle Park figuring out Sunday.
“The reports have been good,” Melvin stated. “We’re going to see how he gets through the day and evaluate tomorrow. Could be soon. Could be a couple more days, how he gets through today will have a lot to do with that.”
Infielder/outfielder Jerar Encnarcion (left hand fracture) is schedule to start out his rehab subsequent week.
