SF Giants tab starting pitcher ahead of Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers

Heading into this four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the SF Giants knew that Logan Webb and Robbie Ray would took the hill in the first two games. They now have some clarity on the third game, as Kai-Wei Teng has been tabbed to start on Saturday, per Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle.

SF Giants tab starting pitcher ahead of Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers

As Rubin reports, the Giants are still undecided about who will start in Sunday's game. Trevor McDonald, Carson Seymour, and Tristan Beck could all be candidates. Carson Whisenhunt is on a rehab assignment, and Blade Tidwell recently returned from the injured list for the Sacramento River Cats.

Teng will take the hill in the third game. Pitching against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium is a tough challenge for any pitcher, especially a young pitcher like Teng.

The Giants are still clinging to faint playoff hopes. They entered Friday with a one-percent chance at making the playoffs. While those odds are extremely low, they have not been mathematically eliminated yet. They will likely miss the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five seasons. In the meantime, they will continue to push for a playoff spot until the odds hit zero.

The Giants will be leaning on Teng to keep those slim playoff hopes alive. He has been in this position a couple of times lately, and responded nicely. In a road game against the Colorado Rockies earlier this month, the 26-year-old pitcher yielded two earned runs in 5.1 frames in an 8-2 win over Colorado.

In Teng's last outing, he completed four innings while allowing one unearned run to score in an 8-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Overall, the right-handed pitcher has been a bit more inconsistent. He has recorded a 6.41 ERA, 3.30 FIP, 1.61 WHIP, 11.1 K/9, and a 2.20 SO/W ratio across 26.2 innings this year. The FIP and strikeout rate are both promising, but he is also pitching with a lot of traffic on the bases.

Teng's long-term role with the club remains unknown, but it is notable that he continues to get starts out of the rotation. While his overall numbers are not that strong, he has pitched better than some other alternative options and will look to make a strong final impression to end the season.

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