Giants Starter Hayden Birdsong Struggles with Command in Disastrous Outing Against Braves

Hayden Birdsong had a highly problematic return to the mound for the San Francisco Giants, failing to record an out in his first appearance in two weeks during a 9-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves. The young starter struggled immensely with his command, walking four batters and hitting one in the first inning while throwing only six strikes out of 25 pitches, leading to five earned runs. This historically poor performance made him the first Giants pitcher and only the 10th MLB pitcher to allow five earned runs, walk four, and fail to record an out, prompting the team to reassess his role given his ongoing command issues.