The San Francisco Giants have finalized their starting rotation by naming Landen Roupp as the fifth starter, outperforming Hayden Birdsong. Roupp, 26, exhibited a solid performance this spring with a 3.75 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 12 innings. Manager Bob Melvin emphasized the competitiveness of both pitchers but ultimately favored Roupp due to his late spring performance. Birdsong struggled with a minor injury in his final audition, which hindered his chances, leading to him starting the year in the bullpen.
Ultimately, Melvin said, Roupp pitched a little bit more toward the end. Harrison, 23, was sent to Triple-A to continue to get stretched out.
Both of (Roupp and Birdsong) had great springs, so really we could go either way with it, Melvin said. Both of them are kind of made to be starters.
Birdsong was derailed by a cracked nail on his right middle finger. While he downplayed the issue at his locker a day later after affixing a temporary nail, it kind of affected stretching him out yesterday.
We want to start with what we think is our best group, Melvin said. And, he added, We're trying to reward guys who had good.
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