San Francisco Giants Call Up Top Pitching Prospect For Bullpen Help

It has been a struggle for the San Francisco Giants' bullpen this year and they have turned to one of their top prospects for help.
Jul 31, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of a San Francisco Giants baseball hat and glove
Jul 31, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of a San Francisco Giants baseball hat and glove / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
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The San Francisco Giants were able to get a win against the Boston Red Sox in the finale on Thursday after another cool moment for their star Mike Yastrzemski.

This stretch was always going to be a test for the Giants as they are scheduled to face two pitching staffs in the Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies who are both inside the Top 10 in ERA.

Despite the 3-1 victory Thursday, the offense has still been frustratingly cold.

While there is hope that things can get figured out, there's also a chance that this is just what the offense provides for the remainder of the year.

And if that's the case, San Francisco will have to rely on the strengths they do have.

Right now, that is their starting rotation which ranks 13th in the league with a 3.73 ERA. But what happens after this unit comes out of the game has also been a major reason why the Giants are struggling to string together wins.

Their bullpen has an ERA of 5.32, the third-worst in all of Major League Baseball.

Manager Bob Melvin and his staff have been searching for answers the entire season, making a move during this series.

Right before the finale, they decided it was time to give one of their top prospects a shot when they called up Randy Rodriguez from Triple-A as reported by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors.

Ranked as their 11th overall prospect by FanGraphs and No. 28 by MLB Pipeline, San Francisco is hoping the power-throwing righty can be an answer for them out of the bullpen after he's been dominant at Triple-A this year with a 1.69 ERA aross his 10 appearances.

To make room for him on the roster, they optioned Daulton Jefferies back to the minors after he was just called up during this series.

Rodriguez will be available to make his debut against the Phillies starting Friday as the Giants begin a four-game slate.


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Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently is the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. He is also a contributor at FanSided, writing about the Philadelphia 76ers for The Sixers Sense. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai