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Long ball sinks Samardzija but powers Giants in Posey’s return to lineup

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It’s still too early to rely heavily on statistics, but Jeff Samardzija’s line this spring signifies some changes may need to be made.

In his three Cactus League starts this spring, Samardzija’s line reads: 7 innings pitched, 12 hits, 10 earned runs, four walks, five strikeouts and three home runs. All three of his allowed home runs came over a span of five batters during Friday’s 10-7 win against the Seattle Mariners.

Dee Gordon, Nelson Cruz and Daniel Vogelbach all homered off Samardzija in the third inning, with Cruz and Vogelbach going back-to-back.

“I thought I made some pretty good pitches out there,” Samardzija said. “Obviously that Dee Gordon pitch we’d like to take back. It just cut back over the plate to his bat and went from there, but other than that I’m pretty pleased with the arm speed. I thought it was coming around nice. It’s the most important thing, being able to get that full range of motion.

“We had a couple clean innings, always feels good to get that rhythm going,” he added. “Biggest takeaway from this for me is that arm action, and to know all the pitches are there.”

Of his pitches, Samardzija has been toying with a new grip on his curveball, which he’s admitted has been a little difficult to adjust to.

“It’s a little different,” he said. “You get so used to the way the ball works in your hand from pitch to pitch in your glove. It’s a little bit different to find those seams but I’m just going to have to take a little more time here early when the pitch is called. I need to make sure I take an extra second or two to have the right grip so I can actually pitch, then that transition will come easier.”

With a little more than two and half weeks left to play until Opening Day, there isn’t too much cause for concern, whether that be over Samardzija’s command or Buster Posey’s tweaked ankle. Posey, who made his first start since February 25, received a cortisone shot in his left ankle and an MRI, but the MRI revealed no structural damage. He doesn’t expect it to bother him too much throughout the season.

There didn’t seem to be much discomfort, if any at all, in Posey’s return to the lineup. Posey took the first pitch he saw from Seattle’s James Paxton and barreled it to the right field corner for a double. He finished the day 3-for-3 with two runs scored and boosted his spring batting average to .800.

“I think at this point I know what my swing is and a lot of it is just being in a good position and being ready to hit,” he said. “I try to keep it simple.”

 

Game notes:

Brandon Belt hit his first home run of the spring, sending a 2-2 pitch from James Paxton over the wall in right center, which new Seattle center-fielder Dee Gordon just missed. He tailgated Posey for the near entirety of his home run trot.

Sam Dyson pitched an inning of relief, giving up a solo home run to Dee Gordon (his second of the day) on his second pitch of the game. He finished one inning of work and gave up two hits, one earned one, one walk and one strike out.

Orlando Calixte’s run-scoring throwing error in the top of the seventh allowed Seattle to tie the game up at seven apiece. He made up for it a half-inning later when he launched his first home run of the spring off of Jhendi Jiminian to regain the lead.

Josh Rutledge and Chris Shaw also homered for San Francisco. It was Shaw’s second of the spring and Rutledge’s first. Both were solo home runs.

Pablo Sandoval went 3-for-3 with two RBI and started at third base after Evan Longoria was scratched from the starting lineup with a sore heel.

Hunter Pence continued to struggle at the plate, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and three left on base. His spring average dropped to .067.

Of the eight total home runs between San Francisco and Seattle, all but Belt’s two-run homer were solo shots.