Birdsong's strong start to the year out of the bullpen earned him a chance to replace Jordan Hicks in the Giants' rotation. This outing was a good first look for Birdsong, who wasn't asked to do too much with 80 pitches (54 strikes) while facing a low-scoring offense.

Hayden Birdsong won his first start of the season with five strong innings and the San Francisco Giants prevailed in a second consecutive pitchers' duel with the visiting Kansas City Royals, posting a 3-2 victory on Tuesday.