Why Hayden Birdsong could have edge for SF Giants’ last rotation spot

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Giants have yet to decide whether Hayden Birdsong or Kyle Harrison or Landen Roupp will be their fifth starter. They likely won’t finalize their decision until right before they travel to Cincinnati. With a week-and-a-half remaining until Opening Day, the race may have dwindled down to two.

Birdsong turned in his best outing of the spring on Sunday against the A’s at Scottsdale Stadium, tossing five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and no walks on 60 pitches. He was followed by Harrison, who allowed three earned runs over three innings but flashed increased velocity. It was the best Harrison has looked, but as camp’s final days approach, the left-hander might be on the outside looking in.

Harrison has been a week behind Birdsong and Roupp all spring after getting sick right before spring training, losing around 10 to 15 pounds. Birdsong and Roupp made their first Cactus League appearances on Feb. 22 and Feb. 23, respectively; Harrison made his on Feb. 28. When manager Bob Melvin was asked if Harrison had enough time to get fully stretched out, Melvin responded it “might be hard.”

“We’ll see where we are with him,” Melvin said after the Giants’ 7-3 win. “He’s a little bit behind everybody. Today, getting him three innings and it seemed like there was a little bit more life in his arm. Like I said, it was a step in the right direction.”

That, then, would leave Birdsong and Roupp as the two leading candidates to capture the fifth spot in the rotation. If performance is the deciding factor, the 23-year-old right-hander has the advantage.

During Cactus League play, Harrison has allowed one earned run over 12 innings with 18 strikeouts. For Birdsong, the walk prevention has been just as impressive as the run prevention.

Last season, Birdsong walked 13.7% of the batters he faced. If he qualified, that would’ve been the worst mark in all of baseball. This spring, Birdsong hasn’t walked a single batter, a feat that’s given him “a little confidence boost.”

“It’s not always up to just stats,” Birdsong said. “There’s a lot of things that play in that situation. So, I just kind of do what I can. If I win that spot, I win that spot, and hopefully, I can hold it.”

Roupp has more than held his own in the competition. Along with the Cactus League stats (12 innings, 3.75 ERA, 14 strikeouts), Roupp recently struck out 13 batters over five scoreless innings against Colorado Rockies minor leaguers at Papago Park, punching out the first nine batters he faced. The 26-year-old right-hander was so dominant to begin that outing that bullpen coach Garvin Alston told Roupp that they might have to put runners on base if he kept shoving.

Harrison hasn’t enjoyed the same success as Birdsong or Roupp but saw his fastball tick up from the low-90s to the mid-90s on Sunday. With his weight back in the desired 220-pound range, Harrison sat 93-94 mph with his fastball against the A’s and touched 95 mph several times.

Along with the added weight, Harrison is employing a higher arm slot compared to the beginning of camp that’s allowing for added carry on his fastball. Harrison employed the change recently after reviewing video and believes his arm is in a better position and “more connected.”

“That’s something we kind of looked at,” Harrison said of his arm slot. “Maybe it was losing some velocity from the really far out arm slot that I got myself in a bad habit of doing. So, good to see today. Did some (medicine) ball work during the week and some drills that we’re working on slot stuff. So, to see it’s already paying off after one start, I’m going to stay on it.”