CHICAGO -- Eduardo Nunez's hamstring strain has been slow to heal, but that wasn't a negative in the wild card game. The Giants won on a homer by his replacement, Conor Gillaspie.
Against Jon Lester, the Giants could certainly use their speedy third baseman, but Bochy said Thursday that Nunez will not be ready to start Game 1 of the National League Division Series. The Giants have not yet decided if Nunez will be on the roster for the series. They have until 10 a.m. Friday to decide.
"We're going to try to get a little workout out of him now to kind of see where we're at, and we'll have to make that determination here," Bochy said. "Can he start tomorrow? No. But it's a five-game series. If we think he can help coming off the bench, maybe start the back end of the series, then we probably would activate him."
Given the lack of progress, it seems unlikely that Nunez would be able to start any of the games in Chicago, where the tarp was on the field all day Thursday and more poor weather is expected. But the Giants don't have a lot of right-handed pinch-hit options, and Nunez could provide a boost against Lester later in a Game 5, or potentially against left-handed closer Aroldis Chapman.
--- Bochy did not reveal his Game 2 starter, saying the staff was still in discussions. Matt Moore and Jeff Samardzija are the options, with Madison Bumgarner lined up for Game 3. Bochy said he would announce a choice on Friday.
--- Johnny Cueto did not double down on his "we'll see who has the coconuts" thought from the September series here. But Cueto did continue to harp on the theme that he's thrilled to be pitching against the Cubs.
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"They have a very young and talented team," he said through interpreter Erwin Higueros. "I felt that in a series like this, the best team should win. When you get to this stage, you have to show up and win the games. It really doesn't matter what happens in the past."
Cueto said his groin (strained in his second-to-last start) is 100 percent healthy. He was the only Giant to take the field Thursday, playing long toss with bullpen catcher Taira Uematsu.
--- During Bochy's press conference, he was asked about superstitions and started to tell the famous story about Ryan Vogelsong.
"I know a lot of players have their own, including what meal they have," he said. "Vogelsong, I forgot his meal. What was it, spaghetti?"
"Chicken enchiladas," he was told.
"Oh ... that," he said. "I was almost close."
