Hayden Birdsong (60) San Francisco Giants pitcher delivers to the Kansas City Royals line up in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue May 20, 2025 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Kansas City Royals 2 (27-23)

San Francisco Giants 3 (29-20)

Win: Hayden Birdsong (2-0)

Loss: Michael Lorenzen (3-5)

Save: Ryan Walker (9)

Time: 2:36

Attendance: 32,118

By Stephen Ruderman

Hayden Birdsong shined in his first start of the season, and the Giants got just enough offense to pull off a 3-2 win over the Royals on Tuesday.

As exciting as this weekend’s sweep of the A’s, the somewhat-harsh reality was that it was mostly Wilmer Flores carrying a struggling offense. That showed again last night when the Royals took the series opener. Tonight, on city connect night, the Giants would have a secret weapon.

Hayden Birdsong showed promise in his 16 starts for the Giants in his rookie season last year. At the start of this season, Bob Melvin placed him in the bullpen, where he has shined. In 11 games this season, Birdsong posted a 2.31, struck out 25 and established himself as a reliable force for the Giants. Before he gave up three runs to the Diamondbacks last Wednesday, his ERA was 1.33.

Birdsong’s skipper rewarded him for his hard work and dominance with a spot in the rotation. Tuesday night, he made his well-earned first start of the season. Birdsong pitched a pair of scoreless innings to start things off, and then he ran into his first test in the top of the third.

Drew Waters led off the top of the third with a base-hit to center field. Birdsong then tried to pick Waters off with a throw over to first base, but he flung the ball into right field, which allowed Waters to go all the way to this. Kyle Isbel stepped up and got Waters in with a sacrifice fly to center, and the Royals fired the opening salvo.

The veteran right-hander, Michael Lorenzen, took the ball for the Royals. Lorenzen escaped a jam in the bottom of the first, and then he threw a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the second. He was then picked up by his defense, who stymied the Giants’ response in the bottom of the third.

After Birdsong got through a scoreless top of the fourth, the Giants would have their response in the bottom of the fourth. Lorenzen hit Willy Adames with one out, and Willy Adames shot a three-bagger out to Triples Alley in right-center to tie it. LaMonte Wade walked, and Casey Schmitt hit a base-hit to left to give the Giants the lead.

Birdsong pitched through a two-out double by Isbel in the top of the fifth. Birdsong got Jonathan India to end the inning with a flyout to left, and his night would be over. Birdsong gave up a run and five hits over his five innings. He didn’t walk anybody, and he struck out four.

Birdsong had done his job, and the Giants had more for Lorenzen in the bottom of the fifth. Mike Yastrzemski reached on an infield hit to start the inning. Wilmer Flores than hit a ground ball off the end of the bat to first-baseman Vinnie Pasquantino on the right side, but as Pasquantino threw to second to try and nail the leading runner, Yastrzemski, he winged it into left field.

The Giants had runners at the corners with nobody out for Jung Hoo Lee. Lee worked the count full, and then Lorenzen hung a curve right down the pipe that Lee shot up the middle into center field for a base-hit. Yastrzemski scored, and the Giants led it 3-1.

Randy Rodriguez entered for the Giants’ starter, as he has done many times this season, in the top of the sixth and threw a scoreless inning. Kyle Harrison then came in and threw a one, two, three top of the seventh.

Harrison was back out for the top of the eighth, but he gave up a leadoff double to the now-journeyman, Hunter Renfroe. Jonathan India grounded out to move Renfroe over to third, and Melvin brought in Camilo Doval.

Bobby Witt Jr. came up and knocked in Renfroe with an infield hit. It was now 3-2, and Witt was aboard as the tying run. Witt tried to steal second, but he was gunned down by Patrick Bailey for the second out. Doval got Pasquantino looking on a cutter right at the bottom of the zone to end the inning.

Melvin then went to his closer, Ryan Walker, in the top of the ninth. Walker shut the Royals down with a one, two, three inning, and the Giants won 3-2.

Kyle Harrison got the win in his first start of the season; Michael Lorenzen took the loss; and Ryan Walker picked up his ninth save.

The Giants are now 29-20—2-2 in the funky city connects—and they can take the series with a win in the rubber match Wednesday. It will be another midweek matinee at the corner of Third and King. The Giants will have their ace, Logan Webb (5-3, 2.42 ERA), on the mound. The Royals will counter with a bullpen game. Daniel Lynch IV (3-0, 1.29 ERA) will take the ball as the opener for Kansas City.

First pitch will be at 12:45 p.m.