Long covered 4.2 innings of long relief and took a no-decision in Sunday's 9-0 loss to Atlanta. He gave up six runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three.
After Anthony DeSclafani (ankle) was cleared to return from the 10-day injured list to start Sunday's contest, Long was expected to transition into a multi-inning role out of the bullpen. While that sort of role could still be in the forecast for Long during the final month of the season, he was deployed as a piggyback starter Sunday with the Giants deliberately limiting DeSclafani's workload in his first start coming off the injury. DeSclafani covered three innings (64 pitches) against Atlanta, but he should be in line to handle a more traditional starting role when his next turn comes up next weekend against the Dodgers. With that in mind, Long shouldn't be counted on to see this sort of workload out of the bullpen moving forward.