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It was a back-to-back, and Sam Coonrod had gotten up earlier in the game. So Gabe Kapler acknowledged the velocity was a bit down from where it has been.
His fastball merely maxed out at 99.1 mph.
Coonrod recorded his first major league save Sunday, setting down the heart of the Diamondbacks order — Starling Marte, Davis Peralta and Christian Walker — in order to preserve the Giants’ 4-1 victory at Chase Field.
The stuff was nasty, even if it wasn’t 101 mph, which Coonrod touched Saturday. Since the 27-year-old was activated off the IL, a lat strain costing him nearly four weeks, he’s emerged with an arm that looks well-rested.
“His stuff has definitely ticked up a bit,” Kapler said of Coonrod, whose righty arm has stepped up in the wake of Trevor Gott falling out of the ninth. “The most important note is the strike throwing. … The most important factor for him is to throw his fastball and changeup for strikes, you see him throwing that cutter to left-handed hitters, he’s getting more comfortable with that, using a two-seamer and a four-seamer.
“… The pitches are just so lively, really what he needs to do is just throw them in the middle of the plate and let them do their work.”
They did Sunday, when he needed 14 pitches for his perfect inning. Kapler said he believes Coonrod came back “fresh,” to which he attributes the velocity uptick rather than a mechanical tweak. Whatever it is, the Giants might want to consider straining the whole staff’s lats.
“His stuff is so good, he really just needs to fill the strike zone up,” Kapler said after Tony Watson and Tyler Rogers also were solid in relief of Johnny Cueto. “I think when he does that, it’s going to be difficult to get solid contact off him.”
Trevor Cahill’s MRI found joint inflammation in his left hip, Kapler said. He will take anti-inflammatories and the Giants will see how he bounces back. They are not ready to begin talk of an IL stint and will use Monday’s off day to figure out the rotation.
Alex Dickerson, who homered and is 4-for-9 this weekend, has begun seeing his luck turn.
“There’s better in there,” Kapler said of a lefty bat they need, who had entered play Saturday batting under .200. “He’s as good of an option as we have against right-handed pitching. … It’s good to see him come around. We’re not going to lose faith in him.”
