JULY 14•MLB.COM
What might second half bring for Birdsong?SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants have a full complement of starters heading into the All-Star break, but they’ll need to clear a couple of spots...
Diego Castillo - Promotion pendingThe Twins are expected to call up Castillo from Triple-A St. Paul, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
ImpactMinnesota is currently dealing with several injuries in the infield and Castillo is expected to take the 26-man roster spot of the IL-bound Jose Miranda (back). Castillo has just one big-league at-bat in his career and is slashing .269/.375/.399 with five homers and seven stolen bases across 283 games with St. Paul. The 26-year-old should see plenty of work at third base and could mix in at second base or shortstop if needed. The Twins will need to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for Castillo.
JULY 14•ROTOWIRE
Taylor Rogers - Handed third lossRogers (1-3) allowed a run on two hits and struck out one in one-third of an inning, taking the loss Saturday versus the Twins.
ImpactRogers served up a go-ahead solo home run to Carlos Santana in the sixth inning, and the Giants couldn't bounce back from it. This was Rogers' first loss in two months, and prior to Saturday he had given up just two runs (one earned) over his prior 22 innings. He's now at a 2.15 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 41:13 K:BB through 37.2 innings while adding four holds in a middle-relief role this year.
JULY 14•ROTOWIRE
Hayden Birdsong - Decent in no-decisionBirdsong allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks while striking out three over five innings in a no-decision versus the Twins on Friday.
ImpactBirdsong continues to put in passable performances without standing out. The rookie right-hander has also walked multiple batters in all four of his big-league appearances, and his three strikeouts were a season low. He's pitched to a reasonable 3.72 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 18:10 K:BB over 19.1 innings so far. It's unclear if Birdsong will stay in the Giants' rotation following the All-Star break, though that decision likely won't come to a head until Alex Cobb (hip/shoulder) and/or Robbie Ray (elbow) are ready for their season debuts.
JULY 14•ROTOWIRE
Jose Miranda - Heading to ILMiranda (back) will be placed on the injured list, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
ImpactMiranda was a late scratch Friday due to lower back stiffness and didn't take the field Saturday. Even with the All-Star break coming this week, Minnesota decided that it'd be best to give Miranda extended time off to let the back issue heal. Diego Castillo is expected to be called up in a corresponding move and should share third base duties with Brooks Lee while Miranda is sidelined.
JULY 14•ROTOWIRE
Brooks Lee - Nabs first stealLee went 0-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Giants.
ImpactThe steal was Lee's first in the majors. Considering he had just two thefts over 30 minor-league games this season, he shouldn't be expected to make a significant contribution on the basepaths regularly. Lack of speed aside, the 23-year-old is off to a good start in his Twins career, batting .300 with two home runs, nine RBI and five runs scored across his first 10 big-league contests.
JULY 14•ROTOWIRE
Carlos Santana - Delivers go-ahead blastSantana went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Giants.
ImpactSantana ended June hot, but this was his first multi-hit effort over 10 games in July. The first baseman is 6-for-32 (.188) with three extra-base hits this month. Despite the slump, he's maintained a decent .247/.328/.431 slash line for the year while adding 13 homers, 41 RBI, 35 runs scored, 17 doubles and two stolen bases across 88 contests.
JULY 14•ROTOWIRE
