Manager Tony Vitello taps Carson Whisenhunt to face the Colorado Rockies, optioning struggling reliever Ryan Walker to Triple-A as the San Francisco Giants fight to stay out of the cellar.
Thursday, July 9, was the lone date the San Francisco Giants have yet to reveal a starting pitcher for, now, that case has been closed.
Manager Tony Vitello made a radio appearance on 104.5 FM / 680 AM KNBR to announce who would be pitching in game one of a four-game slate against the Colorado Rockies.
With last place up for grabs, the last thing the Giants want to do is further push themselves down the National League West standings.
Knowing they're currently only one game up on the Rockies, Vitello is hoping Carson Whisenhunt shines in his second start of 2026 as the 25-year-old has earned the starting nod.
Vitello reveals Whisenhunt is returning to majors
When asked who tonight's mystery starter would be, Vitello responded, "Yeah, Whisenhunt is gonna go for us tonight. It'll be obviously his second opportunity this year."
Vitello said it was a "pretty tough conversation" when the team had to demote him after a solid 5.0 inning start on Wednesday, June 17.
"Everybody kind of knew it was a one and done deal," Vitello said. "The thing that everybody said was it's going to be a matter of time before you get that next opportunity again, and of course here it is tonight."
Corresponding move
Things have not gone smoothly for 30-year-old reliever Ryan Walker this season. He sports a 7.52 ERA and a 1.82 WHIP in his 27 appearances. He may only be 0-1, but his three saves aren't enough to make up for the fact that he simply hasn't had it this season.
Not only does Walker have three holds, but he has three blown saves as well. It's been extremely tough to watch him give up runs in each of his last four games, including the three runs he gave up in last night's 10-run loss.
"With the move with Whisenhunt, that's what affects Walker," Vitello added. "That was the conversation we had yesterday, so he'll option to Sac [Triple-A]."
Vitello acknowledged the Giants will "hopefully" see Walker again "sometime soon."
With just four games left before the All-Star break, it was basically a process of elimination. For Whisenhunt to come up, someone had to go down, and in this case, Walker was the obvious option.
No one knows exactly how long he'll be down at the Triple-A level for, but Vitello wants to see him get his confidence back up as it's clear he's been lacking in that area for quite some time.
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