SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Bruce Bochy announced a slight tweak to the spring schedule on Thursday: Matt Cain won't follow Madison Bumgarner on the mound in the opener; he'll likely start the second game, with Ty Blach backing him up.
The Giants have made no secret of the fact that Cain is the perfect-world pick to be the fifth starter this season. Is there a world where Blach could still be in the big leagues?
"Sure, I could see that," manager Bruce Bochy said.
Bochy called Blach a potentially good "swing guy." If he can't crack the rotation this season, Blach may see time as a long reliever or even a short-stint lefty. With Will Smith (elbow) on a tight timeline to get ready for opening day, the lefty help could be needed.
"He's confident, he's a strike-thrower, he has really good command and he's a good athlete," Bochy said, noting the traits that allow Blach to be versatile.
The 26-year-old had already proven to be flexible. A week after he threw eight shutout innings against the Dodgers, Blach came out of the bullpen at Wrigley Field and threw 1 1/3 hitless innings. Two days later he threw two more scorleless innings out of the bullpen.
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Blach said he was at first a little worried about the transition, but he talked to Cain, Jake Peavy, Chris Heston and Chris Stratton about the best ways to adjust to a switch to the bullpen. He ultimately didn't have any problems warming up quickly as a reliever.
"It was pretty similar, you just try to go out there the same way and execute pitches," Blach said.
Blach made the quick transition look easy, and that might have opened up a second path to a roster spot.
Elsewhere on the final day before the games start ...
STOCK WATCH: Tyler Beede will pitch Sunday, and there are going to be a lot of eyes on him. Beede is probably the No. 7 starter at this point, and when you're in that spot, you're just about guaranteed a decent chunk of starts. Injuries will open doors.
"He's looked real sharp this spring," Bochy said. "He's coming off a great year. He's got great stuff, great makeup. He's a smart pitcher along with having good command of all of his pitches. He knows what he's doing out there. He's one of those guys on a fast pace."
ICYMI: Speaking of guys on a fast pace, here's my feature on Christian Arroyo.
SPRING OPENER: Buster Posey won't catch Bumgarner on Friday, but Brandon Crawford will be behind him. Crawford is going to get plenty of time early on to prepare for the WBC. Posey makes his spring debut Saturday.
LIGHTER SIDE: Just about every day, a rookie has to get up in front of the team and do something embarrassing. Thursday's entertainment: Jae-gyun Hwang, the Korean third baseman, dancing to "Gangnam Style."
QUOTABLE: I think Mike Morse was the best podcast guest so far. We talked about his wedding negotiations with Bobby Evans, his friendship with Hunter Pence, the photo he took with a trophy right after the World Series, why it's SF-or-bust, and much more. You can stream it here or download it on iTunes here.
The last question for Morse: Will he use "Take on Me" this year?
"If this is going to be the last time I play baseball, I'm going to have that song every at-bat," he said.
