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Reporting from ORACLE PARK
Rookie right-hander Hayden Birdsong turned in another solid performance, but the Giants weren’t able to provide enough at the plate as they fell to the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Saturday evening at Oracle Park.
The Giants now fall to 46-50 with one final game remaining before the All-Star Break.
This story has been updated with quotes and post-game material from the Giants clubhouse at Oracle Park.
Birdsong was cruising through three hitless innings until the Twins opened up the scoring in the fourth. Two hitters after Ryan Jeffers was drilled by a pitch, Matt Wallner stroked a double to right then advanced to third when right fielder Mike Yastrzemski endured trouble with the transfer.
Wallner crossed the plate a few batters later when catcher Patrick Bailey was unable to corral a low pitch that stumbled past him to the backstop to make it 2-0 Twins.
In his fourth big league start, Birdsong completed five innings for the second time and finished his outing with a solid line — two hits and an earned run allowed, three walks issued and three strikeouts. He lowered his earned run average to 3.72. On Birdsong’s outing, Giants manager Bob Melvin said:
” (He did) good. I mean, two runs — that club in five innings? Left with the game tied. Kept us in the game, pitch well. It’s a tough lineup to navigate.”
It was also the second straight start where Birdsong began his outing with three no-hit innings, a feat he achieved in his last start in Cleveland last Sunday.
Birdsong finishes his first half as one of the more promising developments for the Giants. Since his debut on June 26, he’s provided an element of stability and length the organization didn’t have before because of multiple injuries to their rotation.
As the Giants wait for health to join their side in regards to starting pitching, Birdsong’s presence has been a breath of fresh air. But those returning from injuries could put the rookie’s roster spot in jeopardy. On the possible decisions, Birdsong says he doesn’t know what the future holds:
“There’s no saying what’s going to happen. They don’t tell us stuff like that. Hopefully, I’ve shown enough to stay up here but if not, I’m gonna still cheer us on and hopefully, I can get back up here if they sent me down. If they don’t, whatever — doesn’t matter. I’m ready to do whatever.”
Once Birdsong departed, the Twins pounced on southpaw Taylor Rogers, Giants manager Bob Melvin‘s first called-upon arm in the bullpen. Rogers has been excellent of late, allowing just a single earned run in his last 21 appearances dating back to May 18.
Despite recent success, Rogers’ magic was nonexistent on Saturday as he allowed a crucial go-ahead solo blast on a hanging sweeper to Carlos Santana. He nearly allowed another to Max Kepler, the very next hitter, but the third replay review of the evening confirmed Kepler’s ball was foul, splashing harmlessly into McCovey Cove instead of more insurance runs for Minnesota.
The Giants answered back in the home-half of the fourth inning with a series of key two-out plate appearances that featured a Michael Conforto walk and Wilmer Flores ground-rule double. Mike Yastrzemski was able to cut the two-run lead for the Twins in half when a slow roller to short ended up as an RBI infield hit — his second base-hit of the afternoon.
Heliot Ramos‘ RBI single in the fifth not only tied the game at 2-2 for the time being, but also extended his on-base streak to 13 games. The Giants outfielder was rewarded for his brilliant first-half with an All-Star Game selection and the 24-year-old is the first Giants homegrown outfielder since Chilli Davis in 1986 to be selected to a Midsummer Classic.
Up Next
The Giants will finish the first half against the Twins on Sunday afternoon, turning to starter Blake Snell (0-3, 7.83 ERA) who comes off a strong performance Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Twins will counter with right-hander Chris Paddack (5-3, 5.18 ERA). First pitch is 1:05 p.m.
Notes
Reliever Austin Warren was activated from the 60-day injured list and was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. He’s been sidelined since May 2023 after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. … The Giants honored four new members of the club’s Wall of Fame on Saturday. Relievers Jeremy Affeldt, Santiago Casilla, Javier Lopez and Sergio Romo — also known as the Core Four — were inducted together and received plaques in their name during a pregame ceremony. The foursome is best known for playing a pivotal role in three championships in San Francisco; 2010, 2012 and 2014.
