SF Giants recall Trevor McDonald as ravaged bullpen seeks boost

PHOENIX As the Giants cling to their fading playoff hopes they re searching for pitching help wherever they can get it Ahead of Tuesday s quasi-bullpen match against the Arizona Diamondbacks the Giants optioned right-hander Keaton Winn and recalled right-hander Trevor McDonald who has yet to pitch an inning in the majors this season It s something you have to do noted manager Bob Melvin Kai-Wei Teng pitched pretty well last night Just kind of blew up on us in the sixth You know you re going to have to go through these We ve had particular games where we ve been triumphant with it and other ones we haven t The Giants bullpen due to both injuries and trades has undergone essential changes over the last two months Left-hander Erik Miller hasn t pitched since early July due to a left elbow sprain Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval were dealt at the deadline Randy Rodr guez will undergo Tommy John surgery at the end of September Despite all those moving parts San Francisco s bullpen collectively still identified procedures to prevent runs On Aug Rodr guez made his last relief appearance of the season From Aug to Sept the Miller-less Rogers-less Doval-less Rodr guez-less bullpen still managed to post a ERA and FIP Over their last three games San Francisco s bullpen has been shellacked The Giants relievers have allowed earned runs over their last innings the central reason as to why the band has been outscored - over these last three games This current unit has had spurts of success but trying to replace four high-leverage relievers is a tall if not impossible task San Francisco s rotation is facing its own problems as well Landen Roupp is likely out for the rest of the regular season due to a bone bruise and Carson Whisenhunt is presently recovering from a back strain Right-hander Blade Tidwell acquired in the Rogers bargain is also recovering from a right shoulder injury that has delayed his Giants debut With Roupp Tidwell and Whisenhunt on the mend Whisenhunt will pitch for Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday the Giants are trying to cobble together innings on days where Logan Webb Robbie Ray and Justin Verlander don t start Teng was limited to four innings on Monday and isn t expected to pitch deep into games The fifth and final spot in the rotation remains in flux too as evidenced by Tristan Beck starting on Tuesday Whisenhunt stands to assume that spot when he s healthy but his timetable to return is unclear At the minimum McDonald has the maximum to help the bullpen cover innings The -year-old owns a ERA with Sacramento partially the product of pitching in the Pacific Coast League he s pitched innings with the River Cats and tossed at least six innings in five of his last six appearances McDonald who pitched three innings for the Giants last season has narrowed his repertoire with Sacramento downsizing to a three-pitch mix featuring a sinker slider and changeup The rookie also believes he s made strides with his maturity saying that he s not letting things spiral and staying in control as a pitcher He s been pitching a lot better lately Melvin revealed The sinker and slider have been really good kind of streamlined his repertoire not long ago to what works for him Sometimes in the Pacific Coast League you can get a little tricky and try to throw too a great number of pitches to try to find something but that s kind of his best repertoire The Giants can help mitigate their pitching woes by putting up runs but San Francisco s offense has suddenly gone cold over the last week and change Related Articles Greg Papa returns to his KNBR show amid leukemia medication SF Giants lose third straight as top prospect Eldridge goes hitless in debut SF Giants top prospect Bryce Eldridge discusses promotion to majors Kurtenbach Peak Posey calling up Bryce Eldridge is the ultimate Buster move SF Giants to call up top prospect Bryce Eldridge for key road trip On Sept the Giants totaled hits matching their season-high and extended their home run streak to games one shy of the franchise record Since then they re posting a collective batting average and OPS scoring three runs or fewer in five of their last nine games We need to hit to win That s what s kind of got us over the hump as far as going through a bad stretch When we don t hit it doesn t feel great We haven t the last three games and we ve given up a lot of runs but all it takes is one event and we have guys in our lineup that can hit