Robbie Ray picks starting for Giants vs. Dodgers Sunday over pitching in All-Star Game
Logan Webb will start Friday night against Dustin May with Landen Roupp then matched up Saturday against Shohei Ohtani, who will make his fifth start of the year. Ohtani's outing will likely be on the shorter end as he hasn't thrown more than two innings in any of his four starts after coming off his second Tommy John surgery.
The shuffle means Ray, an All-Star for the second time in his career, will be ineligible to pitch in the All-Star Game in Atlanta, though he will join teammates Webb and Randy Rodriguez for the midseason festivities. It was an easy decision for Ray to pitch in what could be one of the most important series for the Giants to date over an All-Star outing.
'It's all about doing the best he can for our team,' manager Bob Melvin said. 'We got Dodgers finishing up before the break. He's all-in on pitching.'
That means there will be a replacement for Ray in the All-Star Game. Though it's rare for a team to have four pitchers selected, the Giants are hopeful that reliever Tyler Rogers has a chance to slot in. Rogers' 1.62 ERA entering Wednesday was sixth best among National League relievers, doubly impressive given his 44⅓ innings ranked ninth among NL relievers through Tuesday.
Poor command has Birdsong, in his second year, going through a tough stretch. He'll move to the bullpen for the Dodgers series and return to the rotation after the break. Birdsong has walked 21 batters over his past 27⅔ innings, putting up a 6.51 ERA over those six starts. He walked five in his last turn against the A's, whose surprisingly aggressive approach at the plate helped Birdsong get through five innings with one earned run.
'I think the break will probably be a little bit good for him,' Melvin said. 'You know what, he did recover in that (A's) game when it felt like he was teetering a little bit. He had a few games in a row where he lost his command for the third or fourth inning. Last time he pushed through it and gave us five innings and a win. So I think it's something to feel good about with a little bit of a break here going into the All-Star break. I think he'll come back refreshed after the break.'
The Giants entered the series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday in second place, five games back of the first-place Dodgers in the National League West.
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