Take the long way

Giants 10, Dodgers 4

I don't like the Giants' reliance on bullpen games. I don't think many fans do. Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic described them as "(making) dinner out of a vending machine."

If there's one thing bullpen games do, they provide opportunities. That's not always a good thing (see: Jackson, Luke). But then you end up with stories like Spencer Bivens'.

His baseball life has taken him from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma to France, from JUCO to DI to indy ball. The whole story from Zach Buchanan at The Athletic is worth the read.

Bivens' wandering journey brought him to the right place at the right time on Sunday afternoon. Over five innings the 30-year-old dominated in his first major league start. He held the Dodgers to one run, qualifying for the win by striking out Shohei Ohtani to end the fifth.

Bullpen games are never beautiful, but they can be memorable.

Up next: The Giants are off today as they head to Atlanta for three. It’ll be Hayden Birdsong (0-0, 5.79 ERA) in his second major league start tomorrow, facing Reynaldo López (6-2, 1.70 ERA). First pitch at 4:20 p.m.