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Hayden Birdsong has all the makings of becoming a dominant starting pitcher in the big leagues. He looks the part at 6-foot-4. He has a blazing fastball approaching 100 miles per hour, part of an impressive four-pitch repertoire. And he has succeeded out of the bullpen.
All he needs is a second chance.
In the Giants’ Wednesday matinee at Oracle Park, Birdsong found himself in a perfect position to put himself smack in the middle of a rotation controversy. He replaced starter Jordan Hicks in the third inning of a one-run game with the assignment of escaping a two-on, no-out jam, and throwing a few more clean innings.
The worst possible scenario ensued. Birdsong immediately coughed up a three-run homer to Eugenio Suarez and an inning later allowed a two-run homer to Ketel Marte. A 3-2 deficit quickly became 8-2, and the Diamondbacks defeated the Giants 8-7.
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Nobody disputes that the gifted, young Birdsong — who made 16 starts as a rookie last season and produced a not-so-good 4.75 ERA — eventually will rejoin the rotation. The only question is when.
Had the right-hander been at his best in relief Wednesday, a strong case could have been made for replacing Hicks right away. Hicks was charged with five runs on seven hits. His fell to 1-5 and his ERA ballooned to 6.55.
That Birdsong, whose ERA rose from a mere 1.33 to 2.31, was knocked around needn’t dismiss his chances to move to the rotation. It’s a decision management must consider. If not now, then perhaps soon. It’s a matter of which pitcher Buster Posey and Co. believes will have a better shot at winning every fifth day.
Asked postgame about Hicks’ security in the rotation, manager Bob Melvin said, “It’s right after the game. It’s really hard to talk about those things right now.”
Another rotation option is Kyle Harrison, the left-handed version of Birdsong, who has been throwing nearly as hard. He’s another starter by trade who’s taking down innings in the bullpen after arriving from Triple-A last week.
Either way, if management believes a change is necessary, Birdsong and Harrison are nice candidates. Birdsong said every time out, “I pitch as if I am a starter,” and that being a starter “is the thought in the back of my mind, what I’m trying to work towards.”
He’s certainly stretched out to jump in the rotation, throwing 65 pitches Wednesday, though he wasn’t pleased with his lack of efficiency and falling behind early in counts. Entering so early, he wanted to pitch deep into the game to take pressure off the bullpen, but he lasted three innings.
“Didn’t throw enough strikes early in the count, which killed my pitch count,” he said.
If Hicks is moved to the bullpen, it would be nothing new. He has extensive experience as a high-leverage reliever, a role he served in St. Louis and Toronto before the Giants signed him to a four-year deal to be a starter. Last season, he lasted until July 23 in the Giants’ rotation before wearing down and finishing in the bullpen.
The hope was for the right-hander to build up strength and durability to stick in the rotation this year, but he’s yielding too much loud contact and crooked-numbered results.
“I thought his stuff was pretty good again,” said Melvin, who tends to see the bright side in every player. “There were hard ground balls that found some holes. At some point in time, you’d think they’d be hit at somebody.”
Indeed, the second inning began with four straight ground ball hits for the Diamondbacks, which is one of the reasons Hicks believed he pitched better than his results. In any event, he wasn’t thrilled with the early exit.
“I want to go as deep in the game as I can and try to limit the damage,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I was getting beat up. I didn’t feel like I was getting hit hard. Of course I want to stay out there and keep grinding. It’s never fun getting pulled in the third inning.”
The Giants rallied from an 8-2 deficit with five unanswered runs — Jung Hoo Lee chipped in with his sixth homer — and had the bases loaded in the ninth with one out. After Mike Yastrzemski struck out, pinch-hitter LaMonte Wade Jr. walked to force in a run, but Christian Koss flied out to end the game.
An unusual sequence of eighth-inning events led to both managers simultaneously arguing with umpires.
Heliot Ramos legged out an infield single, advancing Koss, who rounded second, ran into Jordan Lawlar, fell to the ground, and was tagged out. It clearly was interference on Lawlar, but the umpires failed to call it right away.
They gathered and ultimately ruled interference, so Koss was safe. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo argued that interference wasn’t the right call and got ejected, and Melvin argued that Koss should have been awarded third. Neither manager got his way, and the lasting image was of a heated Lovullo gesturing as if he were ejecting the entire umpiring crew, creating a hilarious sideshow for the crowd of 30,078.