ARLINGTON -- The Giants were left with two big vacancies in their starting rotation after trading away left-hander Robbie Ray and right-hander Tyler Mahle ahead of Monday’s Deadline.
Their departures created an immediate opening for pitching prospect Blade Tidwell, who was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to plug one of those holes on Monday.
The 25-year-old right-hander made the most of his first starting opportunity for the Giants, giving up two runs over a career-high five innings in a 5-4 walk-off loss to the Rangers on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field.
The Giants came back to tie the game, 4-4, on Bryce Eldridge’s pinch-hit, two-run single off All-Star left-hander Jacob Latz in the top of the ninth, but the Rangers countered with the winning rally in the bottom half of the inning.
Jake Burger led off with a double, and Dylan Smith intentionally walked Corey Seager. With a pair of runners on and two outs, Ezequiel Duran lofted a potential inning-ending fly ball to right field. However, the ball was misread by Jung Hoo Lee, who allowed it to fall at the warning track for a walk-off ground-rule double.
“The guy drove the ball good,” manager Tony Vitello said. “I thought, off the bat, it had a chance to leave the park. [Lee] did what he needed to do on the break, he just didn’t finish the catch.”
The Giants have 10 walk-off defeats this year, the most in the Majors. Still, the success of their second half will be measured less by wins and losses and more by the development of young players, especially after their dramatic sell-off at the Trade Deadline.
Tidwell’s progress should be of particular interest to the Giants, as the club is expected to spend the next two months determining which young pitchers could join Logan Webb and Landen Roupp in the starting rotation in 2027.
Tidwell, who is ranked San Francisco’s No. 13 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, recorded a 3.00 ERA over eight relief appearances in April, but the Giants decided to option him to Triple-A Sacramento to stretch him out so he’d be ready to step into the big league rotation if needed.
“I’m excited,” Tidwell said. “I would have liked to have gone more than five [innings] because I kind of hung our bullpen out to dry. I’m excited for the opportunity, and I’m embracing it.”
Tidwell needed 32 pitches to get through the first inning and gave up RBI hits to Brandon Nimmo and Duran that put the Giants in a quick 2-0 hole. But he settled in after that, retiring 14 of the final 17 batters he faced while leaning on his intriguing fastball-sweeper combination.
“He looked like he was attacking and he had his intensity, but he was also pitching really well,” Vitello said. “Even toward the end there, where he was able to prevent damage against some really good hitters, he was truly pitching. He had a good mix and was good at spotting up.”
Osleivis Basabe tied the game at 2 in the top of the seventh inning by launching his third home run in his last four games -- a two-run blast off Texas right-hander Chase Silseth -- but the Rangers regained the lead on Duran’s go-ahead, two-run double off left-hander Reiver Sanmartin in the bottom of the eighth.
Still, the Giants managed to once again erase the deficit against Latz, who took the mound in the ninth with a 1.80 ERA this season. After Drew Gilbert reached on a single and Grant McCray walked, the Giants sent up Eldridge -- who was held out of the starting lineup for the second straight day with a left thumb issue -- to pinch-hit for Nate Furman.
Latz’s first pitch to Eldridge got away from catcher Elias Díaz for a passed ball, allowing Gilbert and McCray to move into scoring position with one out. Eldridge quickly capitalized on the miscue, pulling a 2-2 slider into right field for a game-tying, two-run single.
“They’re three young guys, and it’s all left-on-left,” Vitello said. “They kind of had it set up the way they wanted to after Buddy [Kennedy] got out. But I think it speaks to the effort. You’re not interested in consolation prizes or bronze medals or anything like that. But I think the whole game, the effort was there out of everybody.”