Birdsong shines on night Giants' bullpen needed the help

SAN FRANCISCO -- Hayden Birdsong's last outing left a bad taste in his mouth. Last Tuesday, his name went in Bryce Harper's book, and all he could think about for the rest of the Giants' series at Citizens Bank Park was how much he needed to get back on the mound. 

"I wanted Philly again," Birdsong said Monday night. "I was itching, telling [bullpen coach Garvin Alston]: 'Hey, I'm ready.'"

The benefit of being a reliever now is that Birdsong will occasionally get a second crack at a team. But he's also such a big part of this organization's future that he might not always get that shot when he wants it. The Giants had no intention of throwing him back out there against the Philadelphia Phillies after he pitched twice in three days, and Birdsong had to wait nearly a full week to touch the mound again.

This is his new reality now, and he couldn't possibly be handling it better. 

After five days off, Birdsong threw three shutout innings in a 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday at Oracle Park, saving the bullpen on a night when both Tyler Rogers and Ryan Walker were unavailable because of recent workloads. He took over in the sixth inning of a 2-2 game and struck out four, earning his first win of the 2025 MLB season and first big league win as a reliever. 

"We're looking for spots like that for him," manager Bob Melvin said. "It worked out really well today."

The Bullpen Birdsong experiment could have been awkward. When the Giants chose Landen Roupp as their fifth starter a month ago, there seemed to be a good chance that Birdsong would be back in Triple-A by this point of the season, waiting for an opening in the rotation. 

Nobody has pulled that door all the way open yet, but it hasn't mattered. Birdsong has been so valuable as a reliever that there's no need to send him down. He'll be back in the rotation at some point this season, and possibly for good, but for now he's a needed weapon for a team that hasn't made a roster move with the pitching staff through 23 games. 

Birdsong has thrown 13 relief innings over six outings and given up just the two runs, both on the Harper homer. He has 13 strikeouts, three of which came in the eighth inning Monday with the Giants nursing a two-run lead. 

Melvin had Camilo Doval ready for the ninth and Erik Miller available if Birdsong really ran into trouble, but he let the 23-year-old face Sal Frelick with two on and two outs. Birdsong threw his new changeup to get out of the jam. 

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"I don't think anything bothers him too much," Melvin said. "With baserunners out there, he has the weapons to strike someone out and also the weapons to get a double play."

It didn't take long for Birdsong to adjust to life as a reliever, but all of this is still new. There's a different kind of adrenaline that comes with protecting a two-run lead in the eighth inning in front of 30,000 screaming fans, but Birdsong didn't seem to feel it. As the changeup settled into Patrick Bailey's glove, Birdsong turned and strolled off the mound without a hint of emotion on his face. 

"I think if I were to come in in the eighth then it would be a lot more adrenaline going through me, but I was already out there for two [innings]," Birdsong said. "It was like the same thing. Just keep pitching."

That mentality is part of the reason the Giants went with this plan in the first place. Birdsong always has seemed unflappable, and the Giants had no doubts this spring that he could handle a role change and all that would come with having to keep games close in the late innings. 

As he talked about his new job on Monday night, Birdsong said everything has gone pretty smoothly. His body is bouncing back well, and while he expects to be sore Tuesday after throwing 49 pitches, he also expects to be ready by Wednesday if the Giants need him. There's no revenge to get this time, but he still can't wait to get back out there. 

"It's still baseball regardless of what I'm doing," he said. "I'm starting to get used to it. I'm starting to like it. It's fun."

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