SF Giants bring long reliever back to roster, swap lefty in for righty in bullpen

SAN FRANCISCO — A Giants team that used seven pitchers in a 9-6 loss to the Padres on Wednesday added a reinforcement to the bullpen ahead of Thursday’s series finale.

Left-hander Sammy Long is back with the big league club after being recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to take the place of righty Jay Jackson, who threw two scoreless innings on Wednesday before being optioned postgame.

Jackson has been more effective than Long this season, but the Giants are in need of a fresh arm that can cover multiple innings at a time and Long can fill that role. The rookie lefty has started and pitched out of the Giants’ bullpen this season and while he’s posted a 5.72 ERA, Long has also struck out nearly a batter per inning.

Jackson lowered his ERA to 3.92 after Wednesday’s outing against the Padres, but he’s now ineligible to return to the roster for 10 days unless he replaces an injured player.

The Giants may hope to avoid using Long over the next two days as right-handers Kevin Gausman and Logan Webb will start the club’s next two games. Strong starts from both of those pitchers would likely allow the Giants to hand the ball to their high-leverage relievers, which San Francisco was unable to do when its win streak was snapped at nine games on Wednesday.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Thursday “there’s a good chance,” left-hander Alex Wood will be activated Saturday to start against the Atlanta Braves. Wood tested positive for COVID-19 on August 30 and threw a 21-pitch live batting practice on Wednesday at Oracle Park.

It’s unlikely Wood would be able to pitch deep into Saturday’s game, but the Giants are eager to get him back in a rotation that’s also missing right-hander Johnny Cueto, who is out with a flexor strain and is not likely to pitch again during the regular season.