Hayden Birdsong vs. Hayden Wesneski.
Today is an exciting day. The San Francisco Giants are playing baseball, and that’s always exciting. They’re also looking for their third consecutive victory, and that’s exciting. But above all else, electric prospect Hayden Birdsong is making his MLB debut. This is a game worth watching!
Birdsong debuts after just two games in AAA, where he struck out 14 batters. Between AA Richmond and AAA Sacramento this year, the righty has a 2.51 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP, with 75 strikeouts to 26 walks in 57.1 innings. He has a deep repertoire of pitches, and has been flighting with triple digits on his fastball lately.
The Cubs are going with righty Hayden Wesneski, and the San Francisco Chronicle’s Shayne Rubin pointed out that it’s a pitching matchup between two of the three Haydens in MLB history. Pretty cool! Wesneski is 2-4 on the year, with a 3.29 ERA, a 4.42 FIP, and 37 strikeouts to 15 walks in 41 innings. He’s mostly been used as a reliever, but has pitched normal innings in the three times that he’s been used as a starter. So it’s not entirely clear if he’s being used as a traditional starter or an opener tonight.
Either way, this is must-see TV! Enjoy the game! Go Giants! Go Birdsong!
Lineups
Giants
- Brett Wisely (L) — SS — 126 OPS+
- Heliot Ramos (R) — CF — 160 OPS+
- Matt Chapman (R) — 3B — 107 OPS+
- Patrick Bailey (S) — C — 133 OPS+
- Jorge Soler (R) — DH — 103 OPS+
- Thairo Estrada (R) — 2B — 90 OPS+
- Michael Conforto (L) — LF — 100 OPS+
- David Villar (R) — 1B — -9 OPS+ (7 PA)
- Luis Matos (R) — RF — 73 OPS+
P. Hayden Birdsong — RHP — MLB debut
Cubs
- Nico Hoerner (R) — 2B — 88 OPS+
- Michael Busch (L) — 1B — 125 OPS+
- Cody Bellinger (L) — RF — 116 OPS+
- Seiya Suzuki (R) — DH — 117 OPS+
- Ian Happ (S) — LF — 105 OPS+
- Christopher Morel (R) — 3B — 95 OPS+
- Dansby Swanson (R) — SS — 86 OPS+
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (S) — CF — 53 OPS+
- Miguel Amaya (R) — C — 47 OPS+
P. Hayden Wesneski — RHP — 3.29 ERA/4.42 FIP
Game #81
Who: San Francisco Giants (38-42) vs. Chicago Cubs (37-43)
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
When: 6:45 p.m. PT
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area (available on fuboTV)
National broadcast: n/a
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM