Forget that she's a woman...would a MLB franchise be so desperate to

No - they were short a player on their roster. The starting Pitcher Ginny replaced is on the DL. Adding somebody from the bullpen would've still left them a player short on their 25 player roster. Ginnjy's stay at San Diego depends on what happens to the injured pitcher and her own abilities.

That's not usually how it works. Only very strong teams have any potential starters in their bullpens. Otherwise relievers, even the most successful ones, are pitchers who have shown that they aren't capable of starting. Most teams would retrieve the best starting pitcher from their highest minor league affiliate to help the starting staff immediately. Plus any reliever would have to alter his training and preparation to go from 20-30 pitches per appearance to the 100 pitches per appearance a starter is expected to deliver. That can take up to a month's time.

Clay Buccholz came up as a replacement starter in 2007 for what was to be two isolated games and pitched a no-hitter in his second. He's been with the team ever since as a starting pitcher, through ups and downs and mediocrity.

It happens. Yordano Ventura/KC Royals.

Starters and relievers require different skill sets and different mental makeup. A starter should have at least three quality pitches; a reliever can get by with two. Starters usually require more prep than a reliever and they may not be able to deal with coming into a game with base runners as well. There is some traffic between a bullpen pitcher and a starter, but their roles are usually honed in the minors.

Given her skill set, it would have made more sense for her to be a reliever, just not as dramatic. And having a woman in the midst of bullpen antics would have gotten tired fast.