Machi Optioned; Kontos Recalled

Jean Machi was optioned back to Fresno today, while George Kontos has been recalled, according to the San Francisco Giants Twitter account.

Jun 11, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Francisco Giants relief pitcher George Kontos (70) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the eighth inning at PNC Park. The Pittsburgh Pirates won 8-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Machi hasn’t seemed to be too much of a fan favorite. He gave up 4 runs in 2/3 of an inning yesterday. One may guess that had something to do with his demotion. Kontos hasn’t been a super strong reliever this season either, and will still have to server a 3-game suspension after hitting Andrew McCutchen back on June 12th in Pittsburgh. I’m not sure I understand going into L.A. a reliever down since the suspension has to be served in the majors, but hopefully Bochy is feeling confident enough in his starting pitching to hope we don’t need Kontos. Possibly he’s thinking we should get it out of the way now since we’re playing the worst team in the NL West.

Update: According to Amy G, Kontos can pitch immediately since he is appealing his suspension.