Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It started in the middle of the plate, the 3-2 pitch teasing Seattle’s J.P. Crawford. It then dove far and away from the lefty, finishing in the opposing batters’ box, Crawford’s swing finishing far from contact.
It would be the last pitch Jeff Samardzija threw Sunday, and perhaps the best. His splitter can sometimes confuse even his own self, a pitch whose movement evolves and comes and goes.
“That’s why it’s great. Right down the middle, it’s like a knuckleball,” Samardzija said after going 3 2/3 strong innings while allowing one run on two hits, two walks and four strikeouts. “… I just had a good rhythm with it today. Sometimes it’s a pitch you throw hard, sometimes it’s one you lighten up on. It’s a really weird pitch — just kind of understand there’s going to be some good and some bad with it.”
The pitch, with which he has an on-and-off relationship, can be unloosed to lefties, with all that space for it to dive away. It looked sparkling in his latest tune-up, Samardzija putting together a solid spring after a rebound season.
His velocity sat in the upper-80s, though he touched 92 mph to punch out Dee Gordon.
Samardzija is throwing harder than he was at this time last year and said there are probably some starts he “gave away” at the beginning of last season because his velocity was not quite ready. He then took off in June, and he’s encouraged in thinking he will be able to start better this season.
“We had to grind a little more than we had to [last year],” said Samardzija, whose guile has caught Gabe Kapler’s eye.
“He continues to induce weaker contact and make big pitches,” the Giants manager said. “He’s smart, he’s experienced and he knows how to pitch.”
More takeaways from the Giants’ 8-4 win over the Mariners at Scottsdale Stadium in front of 8,546, San Francisco improving to 8-7-2 in the Cactus League:
— Samardzija was grateful for Yolmer Sanchez, who made a mad dash in a shifted infield to make a sliding grab down the left-field line. The two played together in 2015 with the White Sox, though Yolmer went by Carlos then.
“Different name, same guy,” Samardzija said. “The best thing we can say about Yolmer is just the way he plays the game. I was really stoked when we signed him over here. Every so often you come across a guy like Yolmer where if they’re not playing, they’re pissed. They’re mad. That’s just a great type of attitude to have. … He’s just an amazing teammate, a lot like [Kevin] Pillar, if you really want to compare him to somebody. Just plays hard every day, not scared.”
— Jaylin Davis, who entered 4-for-22 with 13 strikeouts, demolished a fourth-inning Sam Delaplane offering.
“Jaylin Davis’ at-bats have looked a lot better the last couple of days,” Kapler said.
Jaylin Davis' power is just ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/nFZEWmLMrS
— Electro (@ImNotHuman123) March 8, 2020
— Buster Posey played back-to-back days for the first time and went 2-for-3.
— Shaun Anderson, who has struggled mightily in the early going, finished off the game by going two innings and allowing a run on one hit — a Donovan Walton home run. Anderson was in good spirits afterward, having changed his fastball grip to one he used before last year’s blister. The ball now tumbles more, he said.