Birdsong (5-6) allowed three runs on four hits and three walks over 4.1 innings Sunday, striking out 11 and taking a loss against St. Louis.
Through four innings, Birdsong had given up one run on a solo shot by Brendan Donovan. The Cardinals then tacked on two more in the fifth inning. Despite recording only 13 outs, Birdsong punched out 11 and racked up 19 whiffs. He generated 12 of those whiffs via the slider. Birdsong ends his rookie season with a 4.75 ERA and 88:43 K:BB through 72 innings. He completed six innings in just one of his 16 MLB starts.
Ramos, who is not in Sunday's lineup against the Cardinals, has a tight hamstring and has been playing through plantar fasciitis, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Manager Bob Melvin said that Ramos could hit Sunday or start at designated hitter, but with nothing to play for, he'll likely get the finale off. Ramos had a breakout age-24 season, slashing .269/.322/.469 with 22 home runs and six steals in 518 plate appearances.
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Giants' Landen Roupp: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Roupp was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday.
With Roupp unavailable after starting Friday and the Giants' bullpen lacking fresh options, Trevor McDonald was summoned to take the roster spot. Roupp has legitimate starter stuff, led by an elite curveball, but he has never logged 110 innings in a season and is already 26.
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Giants' Trevor McDonald: Summoned to majors
Rotowire
McDonald was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday.
The Giants are short on fresh arms for the final game of the regular season, so McDonald could make his big-league debut in relief of Hayden Birdsong. McDonald, a 23-year-old righty with decent stuff, logged 78.1 innings across High-A, Double-A and Triple-A this season.
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Giants' Luis Matos: Back in majors
Rotowire
Matos was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday.
Matos is not in Sunday's lineup, but he'll replace Mark Canha (thumb sprain) as a righty-hitting bench option. Matos is just 22 years old, but he was below league average at Triple-A (91 wRC+) and the majors (62 wRC+) this season.
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Giants' Mark Canha: To IL with thumb sprain
Rotowire
Canha was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a right thumb sprain.
Canha has played his final game of 2024 and will enter free agency this offseason. The righty-hitting 35-year-old will be eligible at first base and outfield in fantasy next year, but he only managed seven home runs and seven steals in 462 plate appearances this season.
Bailey went 1-for-3 with two RBI, one stolen base and one run scored in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Cardinals.
Bailey has gone 12-for-43 (.279) with three extra-base hits and four RBI over his last 14 games. His steal Saturday was his fourth of the year and his first since July 22. The catcher has put together a middling year at the plate, slashing .234/.298/.339 with eight home runs, 46 RBI, 46 runs scored, 16 doubles and a triple over 121 contests. While he hasn't hit all that well, Bailey's elite pitch framing and arm have made him an essential part of the Giants' roster.
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Giants' Ryan Walker: Nabs 10th win
Rotowire
Walker (10-4) allowed a hit and a walk over a scoreless inning to earn the win Saturday over the Cardinals.
Walker kept the game tied in the eighth inning before the Giants took the lead in the bottom of the frame. Walker is one of two relievers in the majors -- the other being Houston's Hector Neris -- to earn 10 wins this season. Over 80 innings, Walker has added a 1.91 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 99:18 K:BB, 10 saves and 22 holds while emerging as one the Giants' best relievers.
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Giants' Spencer Bivens: Grabs first save
Rotowire
Bivens allowed a hit and struck out two over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Cardinals.
Bivens has mostly been used in long-relief spots this year, but he was called on for a save chance after Ryan Walker pitched in a high-leverage spot in the eighth inning. Bivens was up to the task, earning his first major-league save, though he's not unfamiliar with the closing role after earning eight saves with Triple-A Sacramento in 2024. In the majors, Bivens has a 3.14 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 37:11 K:BB across 48.2 innings over 27 appearances (two starts).
Giants' Tristan Beck: Solid in first start of season
Rotowire
Beck took the no-decision Saturday against the Cardinals, as he allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out three over four innings.
Beck got his first start in place of Blake Snell, Beck's first since September 2023, and he looked impressive in the opportunity. It was Beck's longest outing of the season, and he finishes the season on a positive note. Beck made his season debut in September after missing the majority of the season with an aneurysm in his upper right arm that required surgery. The 28-year-old allowed just three runs in 16 innings this season.
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Giants' Michael Conforto: Not starting Saturday
Rotowire
Conforto isn't in the Giants' lineup Saturday versus the Cardinals, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Conforto has gone 7-for-20 with two homers and four RBI over the course of his five-game hitting streak, but he'll take a seat Saturday, allowing Jerar Encarnacion to serve as San Francisco's DH and bat fifth.
