SF Giants Recap and Notes

Whisenhunt is slated to start Sunday’s game against the Mets at Citi Field.

Whisenhunt will remain in the rotation for at least one more turn after he had a so-so showing in his MLB debut against the Pirates on Monday, when he took a no-decision after giving up four earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three over five innings. Landen Roupp (elbow) could be on track to return from the injured list by the end of next week, but the Giants will still have one rotation spot left over for either Whisenhunt or right-hander Kai-Wei Teng, who will be making his first MLB start Saturday. How Whisenhunt and Teng both fare this weekend may be a deciding factor in which of the two sticks around in the big-league rotation on a longer-term basis.

Giants manager Bob Melvin said that Teng will start Saturday’s game against the Mets at Citi Field, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Teng made four appearances out of the San Francisco bullpen in the opening month of the 2024 season, but he had pitched exclusively in the minors ever since then before the Giants called him up from Triple-A Sacramento on Friday. The right-hander had been limited to 1.2 innings in his most recent outing with Sacramento on July 25, but that was largely because the Giants wanted to keep him fresh for a potential start with the big club last week that ended up falling to Carson Whisenhunt. The Giants still had another opening in the rotation with Landen Roupp (elbow) recently landing on the injured list, so Teng will be needed for at least one start. Over 25 appearances (four starts) with Sacramento on the season, the 26-year-old righty owns a 3.67 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 86:21 K:BB in 54 innings.

Ray did not factor into the decision in Friday’s 4-3 extra-inning win over the Mets, allowing one run on four hits and one walk with six strikeouts over seven innings.

Ray cruised through six scoreless frames before surrendering a solo homer in the seventh, leaving with a 3-1 lead that the Giants‘ bullpen couldn’t hold in the eighth. While the veteran southpaw has just one win in his past 10 outings, he’s yielded three earned runs or fewer in nine of them to go along with five quality starts. He’ll carry a 2.85 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 140:53 K:BB ratio across 136 innings into a road matchup with the Pirates next week.

Rodriguez earned the save in Friday’s 4-3 extra-inning win over the Mets, recording one walk and one strikeout in a scoreless 10th inning.

Rodriguez was called on to protect a one-run lead in the 10th inning, needing 16 pitches to secure his first save since officially being named the Giants‘ new closer. The 25-year-old has been one of baseball’s top relievers, boasting a 1.17 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 63:46 K:BB ratio across 46 innings with two saves and 13 holds. He should only become more valuable in his new role moving forward.