SF Giants manager Bob Melvin's gamble on young pitcher pays off against Brewers

A lefty was at the plate with a left-hander ready to go in the bullpen. The reliever on the mound had already thrown 40-something pitches and had just walked a batter. Yet, SF Giants manager Bob Melvin still showed faith in his young pitcher Hayden Birdsong.

It was the sort of moment that reveals just how much trust a manager has in a pitcher. We found out that Melvin has a lot of belief in his 23-year-old flamethrower who certainly looks like he will be a future member of the rotation but for the time being is thriving as a sort of "super-reliever."

SF Giants manager Bob Melvin takes gamble on Birdsong, gets rewarded

Birdsong came into a 2-2 tie in the 6th inning of Monday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers and he delivered three scoreless innings as the Giants put three runs on the board. Birdsong allowed one hit and issued two walks while striking out four batters as he lowered his ERA to 1.38 on the season.

It was yet another example of Birdsong thriving in a new role that easily could have been awkward for a guy accustomed to being a starting pitcher. Landen Roupp beat him out for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, but the young pitcher has not missed a beat. Birdsong has looked really comfortable coming out of the bullpen with him pitching two innings or more in five of his six outings. It really seems like Melvin has unlocked a secret weapon in the bullpen.

The fact that Melvin left Birdsong in to face left-handed hitter Sal Frelick with two runners on and two outs in the top of the 8th with San Francisco leading 4-2 tells you everything you need to know about how much trust he has in him. Erik Miller was ready to go in the bullpen and no one would have batted an eye had Melvin opted for him in that situation. It was the kind of decision that could have easily blown up in Melvin's face if Frelick cleared the bases and tied the game or, worse yet, hit a home run to give the Brewers the lead. Instead, Birdsong struck him out on three pitches using a nasty new pitch.

It really is a luxury for Melvin to have a weapon like Birdsong because he can use him to pitch three high-leverage innings in a close game which saves other arms in the bullpen like Tyler Rogers, Randy Rodriguez, and Miller for the rest of this series.

Thankfully, Camilo Doval was able to shut the door in the 9th with Ryan Walker needing a rest which was a scenario that seemed like it could cause some headaches for Melvin but thankfully things went smoothly in the 9th.

Melvin's trust in Birdsong is only going to grow after Monday's game with the young pitcher rewarding his manager's faith in him. Even if Birdsong is not in the bullpen for much longer, Melvin will certainly enjoy having a weapon like him up his sleeve for the time being.