SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants’ rotation took a hit when the team optioned Hayden Birdsong to Triple-A Sacramento following the worst start of his career. On Friday, that unit took another blow.

Birdsong’s demotion now leaves the rotation as Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Justin Verlander, Landen Roupp and others. Webb and Ray were both All-Stars, but they’re both coming off nightmare starts, and they’ve struggled more recently than they previously had all season.

The Giants already had a hole in their rotation after demoting Hayden Birdsong to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday. Now they have two. Right-hander Landen Roupp, who had emerged as the club’s No. 3 starter behind All-Stars Logan Webb and Robbie Ray,

Hayden Birdsong’s demotion combined with Justin Verlander’s inconsistency highlight the team’s need for major-league rotation depth as the July 31 trade deadline looms. It’s an issue that has been brewing since the team sent Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Rafael Devers.

With Hayden Birdsong's demotion, it’s clear the Giants have had enough of the rotation’s struggles and are moving in a different direction.

San Francisco manager Bob Melvin hopes Landen Roupp's right elbow injury was caught in time amid the Giants' starting rotation woes.

Rookie Drake Baldwin drove in six runs, Ronald Acuña Jr. scored three times and the Atlanta Braves beat San Francisco 9-5, handing the Giants their season-high sixth straight loss.

It just makes too much sense for the Giants to cut ties with Sean Hjelle amidst an imminent pitching staff move.

Hayden Birdsong may have given up three runs and taken the loss against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, but the San Francisco Giants rookie racked up 11 strikeouts in 4.1 innings.