SCOTTSDALE - There are all sorts of weird things that minor leaguers go through. One of them might have cost Tyler Beede a shot at a September call-up last season.
Beede was warming up for a start in late July when he suffered a groin injury that knocked him out until the Arizona Fall League. The game was a 10 a.m. start because of an event at the ballpark, and Beede said it taught him a thing or two about extending his pre-game warmup routine.
"I had never been hurt before," Beede said. "When I got hurt I realized I needed to do a little more to activate my body. I need to give myself an extra 30 minutes to an hour. I wish it would have been a different wake-up call, a more subtle one."
Monday's wake-up call was a normal one. Beede took the ball at 1:05 p.m., but it didn't go quite as planned. The Royals got four hits and three runs in Beede's two innings of work. Still, the young right-hander was happy with the way his arm felt, and Bruce Bochy said Beede threw better than the numbers indicated.
"He threw a lot of strikes," Bochy said. "Especially a lot of first-pitch strikes."
The next pitcher up, Derek Holland, also gave up multiple runs. Both are vying for a rotation spot, and Chris Stratton, Ty Blach and Andrew Suarez were sharper the first time out. But Bochy was happy with what he saw from Holland, too.
"I thought Holland looked really good," he said of the lefty. "He looked really sharp, hitting his spots, freezing some hitters. He had a good, quick arm going. For the first time out, that was pretty impressive."
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--- Julian Fernandez, a Rule 5 pick from the Rockies, struggled in his Giants debut. Fernandez didn't record an out and was charged with four earned runs on two hits and two walks. He appeared to be overthrowing, which makes sense.
"I'm sure the nerves were going pretty good," Bochy said.
Fernandez has never pitched above A-ball, but he has to make the opening day roster for the Giants to keep his rights. Bochy said he'll throw the 22-year-old right back out there this week.
--- Josh Osich struck out two in a perfect inning. There's still a chance for him to snag a bullpen spot with Will Smith out until May 1.
--- Ryder Jones said his MRI revealed a Grade 1 hamstring strain. He'll miss at least another week of camp.
--- The main story today is Chris Shaw, who dropped 15 pounds this offseason to improve his defense.
--- Over on Instagram stories, a spring day in the life of Brandon Crawford. The Instagram handle is: pavlovicnbcs.
