‘Tugboat’ Wilkinson starting Wednesday vs. Guardians

Wilkinson was 0-3 with a 7.11 ERA in his three starts for the Giants, but he did very well today, allowing just three hits and walking none. He left with a 1-0 lead, but that vanished right away in the sixth. Wilkinson will likely make another start against the Dodgers next weekend.

Wilkinson the reliever has thus far been a great improvement on Wilkinson the starter. He’s gone 0-3 with a 7.11 ERA in his three starts, but he’s allowed a total of three hits over seven scoreless innings out of the pen.

This was a catastrophic start for the young lefty we call ‘Tugboat’. First, Mark Vientos took him deep for a three-run home run in the first inning. Then, he struggled to regain his composure afterwards and didn’t get much help from his teammates either. In a five-batter sequence during the second inning, he let up solo home run, walked a batter, balked, had his shortstop boot a ground ball, didn’t get to first quickly enough to finish off a double play, saw his catcher lose a ball on the transfer during a stolen base attempt, and then gave up a three-run home run to finish it off. Suddenly, seven runs were home and he’d already thrown 51 pitches. He lasted for one more scoreless inning after that, but the damage was already done. He’s scheduled to face the Cardinals at home next time out.

Wilkinson was with the Giants on Saturday as the 27th man for their doubleheader against the Diamondbacks, but now he’ll join the active roster with Sam Hentges (forearm) heading to the injured list. It remains to be seen if he’ll remain in the club’s rotation or if he’ll work as a long man out of the bullpen.

The 23-year-old southpaw struck out four batters in the contest while issuing a pair of walks. Wilkinson actually shut the Diamondbacks out through six innings but returned for the seventh where he issued a pair of walks before turning the ball over to the bullpen — then both inherited runners ultimately scored. Wilkinson has made three starts with the Giants this season, posting a 4.63 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and a 6/2 K/BB ratio over 11 2/3 innings. He’ll head back to Triple-A Sacramento where he’ll continue to bide his time until another opening arises in the Giants’ rotation.

The pitcher they affectionately call “Tugboat” draws the starting assignment for the front-end of Saturday’s doubleheader at Oracle Park. The 23-year-old allowed four runs over 5 2/3 innings across a pair of appearances earlier this month. He misses enough bats to be interesting from a long-term standpoint, but he’s not a recommended fantasy option at this stage of his career.

Whisenhunt said this felt different than the elbow sprain that cost him the final two months of 2023, and he’s hoping it might just be a pinched nerve. "[I’ve] never really felt anything like this,” he said after the game. “I don’t really know kind of where to be at with it. So just kind of play it by ear and get the MRI tomorrow and then go from there.” The Giants could recall Matt Wilkinson if Whisenhunt goes on the IL.

Wilkinson heads back to the minors after allowing four runs over 5 2/3 innings across a pair of opener appearances after being called up last week. The 23-year-old southpaw is an interesting prospect, but he’s not going to make much of a fantasy impact at this stage of his career.

He allowed seven hits, walked none and struck out two. Wilkinson threw 66 pitches on three days’ rest after his two-inning MLB debut on Wednesday. With Adrian Houser moving back to the rotation, it’s unclear if Wilkinson will get a start next time through. Sending him down for a fresh arm might be a possibility.

Wilkinson started but was effectively used as an opener, limited to 25 pitches before Adrian Houser took over and threw the next five frames. “Tugboat” didn’t record any strikeouts while averaging 90.1 mph with his four-seamer. He was drafted by the Guardians in 2023 but traded to the Giants earlier this season as part of a package for catcher Patrick Bailey. He won’t have fantasy value unless he gets stretched out at the big-league level.