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SF Giants Press Clips Wednesday, March 29, 2017

San Francisco Chronicle Giants’ and A’s top 5 relievers of all time: Start the debate Bruce Jenkins At the climax of last year’s baseball season, the Chicago Cubs’ fans witnessed a sporting miracle. For the first time in their lives — unless they happened to be 108 years old — their team gathered in a mob scene to celebrate a World Series title. Among the young and old, “I can die happy now” became a popular refrain. Bay Area fans might complain about postseason droughts over the years, some of them quite severe, but we’re among the lucky ones. We know that scene. We’ve seen it unfold many times, in many places. The Giants pulled it off three times in five years. For the A’s, a three-season dynasty and the 1989 encore. In all cases, it was an elite bullpen finishing the job, those precious last outs forever preserved in the memory. We present here the greatest relief pitchers in Bay Area history, five each for the Giants and A’s. You’ll notice heavy emphasis on the postseason, for those are ones that count — memories passed on through the generations. It looks this way: THE GIANTS 1. Brian Wilson: He threw the most important pitch in San Francisco Giants history, the one that struck out Nelson Cruz to end Game 5 of the 2010 World Series and give the franchise its first championship since moving west. Although clearly a major reason behind Duane Kuiper’s “torture” chacterization of the club - Wilson tended to create alarming predicaments before settling down to retire the side - he was a top-notch closer after assuming the role in 2008, and he was especially good during the 2010 postseason run: 11 2/3 scoreless innings while converting all six save opportunities. 2. Robb Nen: A trusted reliever never tells his manager, “I’m not ready.” It just isn’t done, even if the man’s arm is falling off. Heroic in the eyes of teammates, after five sensational seasons closing out Giants wins, Nen pitched through the searing pain in his shoulder down the stretch of the 2002 season and into the World Series — and at the bitter end, he simply had nothing left. The last game he ever pitched was the fateful Game 6 against the Angels, and it was off to rotator-cuff surgery. But he’ll never be forgotten, and he’s the club’s all-time saves leader with 206.

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3. Rod Beck: Arm dangling at his side, Fu Manchu countenance setting the tone, Beck was one of baseball’s best closers through the 1990s and posted 199 saves in a Giants uniform. It was his strikeout of San Diego’s Greg Vaughn that clinched the N.L. Western Division title in 1997, and fans got a sense something good was about to happen when he strode out of the bullpen. The World Series eluded Beck, who died far too soon at the age of 38, but he was an outright stud. 4. Greg Minton: Such lean years. The Giants didn’t make much significant noise from 1979 through ’86, when Minton made a habit of baffling National League hitters with his off-the-table sinker. When a victory came around, he was usually the one to finish it. In his best year, 1982, he posted 30 saves and a 1.83 ERA, earning himself some Cy Young and MVP votes. Sadly, Minton had departed when the Giants broke through with an NLCS appearance in 1987. With his arm in tatters, he was released in May of that season. 5. Sergio Romo: There are plenty of candidates for this fifth spot, but none of them closed out a World Series title — as Romo did so spectacularly, surprising Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera with a fastball (instead of his famed slider) for a called third strike that completed the Giants’ four-game sweep in 2012. A mere wisp of a man, the tough-minded Romo was equally formidable the following season (2.54, 38 saves). Nothing — not even his recent signing with the Dodgers — can dim the memory of his performances. The Second Five: Stu Miller, Gary Lavelle, Santiago Casilla, Jeremy Affeldt, Javier Lopez. With a nod to Madison Bumgarner for Game 7 in Kansas City. San Francisco Chronicle Matt Cain, Giants end their stay in Arizona on positive note Henry Schulman MESA, Ariz. — The Giants broke camp with a 10-7 victory over the Cubs on Tuesday, a positive ending to a spring training that only seems as if it began during the Reagan administration. The longer-than-usual spring meant even more debate on the fifth starter. On Tuesday, in a 99-pitch start against the World Series champs, Matt Cain provided the coaches and front office an argument to pick him over Ty Blach. Cain allowed four runs in 51/3 innings, one scoring after he left the game. He held the Cubs to two runs over the first five innings, on a Chesny Young homer. Cain also held the five Chicago regulars he faced — Ben Zobrist, Jason Heyward, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and Miguel Montero — to 0-for-10 with a walk and four strikeouts before Heyward doubled and Baez singled in the sixth, as Cain was approaching 100 pitches. Now, Cain and Blach must wait to be told who gets the ball in San Diego on April 7. Cain has spent the entire spring working toward that game. “We’ll let the guys in the office do their job,” Cain said. “I’ve been going out every fifth day during the spring. That’s the mind-set I’m going to keep going with and we’ll see what happens. I’m going to be ready for, say it’s the fifth day, until I’m told otherwise.”

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Manager Bruce Bochy did not tip his hand and was not effusive about Cain’s start. The term he used was “improvement.” “He did a good job out there,” Bochy said. “He went through a tough lineup. He used his changeup today and he used his fastball effectively. He got his pitch count up. He’s healthy. Now it’s something we’ve got to discuss, what we’re going to do with the whole staff.” The fifth-starter issue consumed most of the spring discussion about the rotation, a good thing for the Giants, because it meant few issues with the other four starters. The Giants won their three recent championships on the strength of their starters, but one could fairly argue that the 2017 rotation might be their best. Three returnees — Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija — all surpassed 200 innings last year. Matt Moore missed by 12/3 innings (with the Rays and Giants combined) and remains haunted by his second-inning knockout at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 21. Had Moore logged two more innings, the Giants would have been the first club since the 2012 Reds with four 200-inning pitchers. Cueto was part of that quartet, which also included Homer Bailey, Mat Latos and Bronson Arroyo. Even so, the Giants were the only team in the majors last year with three 200-inning pitchers. The White Sox, Red Sox and Nationals had two apiece. The rotation depth might be the best of the Bochy era, with Blach and Tyler Beede seemingly ready to become mainstays. “Our starting staff is really good and I’m excited to be a part of it,” Bumgarner said after pitching seven innings in his final tuneup Monday. There will be hiccups, to use one of Bochy’s favorite words. Samardzija can be streaky. Moore will have a few starts in which he loses the strike zone. Rookies can struggle when hitters solve them. But how many teams would love to have a seven-deep rotation with five starters with 200-inning experience? “We really want to stay healthy and throw it out there every start,” Samardzija said. “I think we’ll be really excited at the end of the year to see where we’re at. “I think we expect that out of each other and I think we’re going to set lofty goals for ourselves. I just think it keeps the season young. It keeps you free when you’re competing and you’re watching what the last guy did. “You’re not so worried about how many starts into the year we are, because you’re just worried about showing up and doing your part after someone already set the bar, usually pretty high. It makes the season go a little quicker and keeps you into it when you have that competition.” San Francisco Chronicle

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Giants apparently tell Jimmy Rollins he will not make team Henry Schulman MESA, Ariz. — Jimmy Rollins finishing his career across the bay from his hometown would have been a nice story. The spirit was willing. So was the glove. The bat was weak. Though the Giants made no formal announcement, they apparently told the 38-year-old who was the 2007 NL Most Valuable Player that he was not going to make the team. Signs pointed toward fellow spring invitee Aaron Hill getting the job for which they competed. “We talked to Jimmy,” manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday before the Giants boarded buses for the airport and their trip north. “He knows the situation, and we’re waiting to hear back from him.” Which means the Giants apparently offered Rollins a chance to play in this weekend’s Bay Bridge Series games in San Francisco and Oakland, with Saturday’s final game a stone’s throw from where he grew up in Alameda. Rollins showed he still could play shortstop and looked better at second base than even might have been predicted. But he made virtually no hard contact during the spring games and had only three hits until he hit two doubles against the Reds on Monday. Hill was headed for the team flight, which is significant because he survived a Tuesday deadline to be cut or paid a $100,000 retention bonus for agreeing not to opt out of his minor-league contract. If Hill was not going to make the team, he and the Giants probably would have parted ways ahead of that deadline. Hill did not have a great spring offensively, either, but he showed flashes of gap power, proved himself adept at third, short and second, and showed he could play left field if needed. Marrero blast: Outfield candidate Chris Marrero is squarely in the race for a roster spot. How could he not be after hitting is third ninth-inning, game-winning homer Tuesday. The Giants were down 7-5 in the ninth before he hit a three-run no-doubter against Cubs prospect Pierce Johnson, his eighth of the spring, including one against Puerto Rico. Bochy said Marrero will play some left field in the Bay Bridge games. “It’s been a great spring for him. It seems fitting he’d do something like that,” Bochy said. “The kid has done all he can do to be on the club. I love his swing and his attitude and the work he put in.” Briefly: Former Giants Matt Williams and Cody Ross have been hired to do pregame and postgame studio appearances for the club’s TV network. … Eduardo Nuñez played catch from about 150 feet, showing no apparent discomfort in his throwing shoulder. Bochy said Nuñez will play third base and shortstop this weekend. … Denard Span homered off Jake Arrieta to lead off Tuesday’s game. Next time up, Span bunted for a hit, stole second and then scored from there on a wild pitch. Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

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Giants 10, Cubs 7 Notable: The Giants hit three homers in the ninth and came from behind for a win that ended their Arizona schedule at 17-16, counting the game against the Puerto Rican World Baseball Classic team. Chris Marrero’s three-run homer against Pierce Johnson gave the Giants the lead. Justin Ruggiano and Tim Federowicz hit solo homers. … Lefty reliever Josh Osich picked a bad time to struggle. In a four-run sixth, he let three straight left-handed hitters reach base, on a single, double and walk. … The Giants jumped Jake Arrieta for three runs in the first two innings. Quotable: “He’s been 30 the last seven years.” — Madison Bumgarner, asked why the team did not sing “Happy Birthday” to Buster Posey on his milestone day. Wednesday: Off San Jose Mercury News Giants’ secret weapons: Sleep, nutrition, hydration and the Golden Urinal trophy Daniel Brown SAN FRANCISCO — Let’s begin where the process so often ends. “We’re actually going to go into the bathroom, of all places,” said Geoff Head, the Giants sports science specialist. It’s almost five hours before the first pitch at AT&T Park last September, so we’re free to barge unannounced into the Giants’ clubhouse restroom. The players have yet to trickle in. Head selected this lonely hour to provide an extended look at a largely unknown part of the Giants’ late-season success. Now in its third full season, the sports science program takes a high-tech approach to assessing health and fitness by looking at what Head calls “the physiological biomarkers of fatigue and performance.” Depending on the results of player testing, Head might have a turmeric-spiced shake or sodium-infused water at the ready. Each of his concoctions are custom-made for the player’s individual molecular needs. It gives team chemistry a whole new meaning. “Players are looking for every legal advantage, every edge,” Head said. “That’s why the game has started to evolve. You can’t take steroids. They test ALL the time — I feel like that there are testers here every day. “And that’s a good thing. You want the sport to be clean. But now the question is, ‘OK, how do I adjust and still play 162 games without getting hurt?'” That explains why we are here, in this ghost town of a clubhouse bathroom, examining the blue paper cups stacked atop each of the five urinals.

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“An area we’re really focused on is hydration. And one of the ways we check players’ hydration daily is through what’s called USG — a urine specific gravity machine,” Head explains. The Giants value these readings so much that they’ve turned urination into a competition. To be eligible to win the coveted Hydration Domination contest, players must post their best scores before batting practice. The best hydrated player after each series wins an award shaped like a golden urinal. Think of it as the M-V-Pee trophy. These tests are 100 percent voluntary. The Major League Baseball Players Association is explicit in its medical privacy guidelines regarding the results of such body monitoring. Not even Manager Bruce Bochy nor General Manager Bobby Evans are privy to the individual test results. These hydration checks are akin to the ones that helped get former NFL coach Chip Kelly bounced out of Philadelphia a few years ago. Some Eagles players found them to be an invasion of privacy and just plain weird. But the Giants players, led by some key veterans, embraced the testing in earnest last year, quietly launching a clubhouse revolution. “Definitely,” catcher Buster Posey said. “Geoff has worked his tail off the last year or two in trying to find anything he can to give us an edge. “Maybe it’s as simple as paying attention to guys weight and keeping enough calories in their system to help them maintain weight. Or maybe it’s different types of recovery. He’s constantly soaking up information and trying to figure out ways we can benefit.” Hunter Pence, the outfielder and noted kale muncher, said: “It’s all very powerful information. It’s something that I’m tremendously grateful for.” The Giants are one of a handful of major league teams to employ full-time sports science specialists, although that number keeps growing. In 2015, two teams had an official sports scientist. This year, the number is 11 — and likely higher than that, since some teams still keep their program a secret. # # # Two years ago, the Giants put their program in the hands of Head, a former oft-injured defensive back at Northern Arizona University. He got his master’s degree in kinesiology and sports conditioning at A.T. Still University before working as a trainer at the acclaimed Fischer Institute facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Giants brought him aboard to work in conjunction with head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner. Injuries are unavoidable, but together they take aim at some of the preventable pulls and strains that can clutter up a disabled list. During this clubhouse tour last Sept. 16, it’s about 2:30 p.m. and there are still no players in sight. Players would usually be here by now, but Bochy, as a nod to toward the team’s widespread fatigue, canceled batting practice and issued mandatory late reporting times.

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Later that night, looking energized, the Giants beat the Cardinals 8-2. Posey hit his first home run since July 16. “I think that throughout the course of a season as long as ours — we play 162 games in 180 days — any way you can feel a little bit fresher or bounce back a little quicker is a huge, huge positive,” reliever George Kontos said. As he walked around before the game, Head pointed to the iPads in every locker. He grabbed one belonging to a starting pitcher and started clicking away to demonstrate a new Giants ritual known as the “Daily Wellness Questionnaire.” Using the iPad, a player can begin by tapping a photo of his avatar. Then he answers questions designed to give Head feedback on various aspects of recovery. An injured player, for example, can also click anywhere on a body graphic to open a window for typing in more details. “So if a player has had a hamstring injury in the past, the player might touch his hamstring and say, ‘It’s like a 3,”’ Head says. “That area will light up and basically remind me that, ‘Hey, this player had an injury in that area in the past.'” These iPad conversations, like the hydration tests, are voluntary and private. Head does not relay the information to Bochy, nor does he ever suggest to the manager that the player needs a day off. The privacy allows players to be honest. That’s the key. “We’re all in this together,” said reliever Hunter Strickland, who said he fills out the questionnaire every day. “You can obviously go in there and be dishonest about it and write, ‘Oh, excellent!’ every day. But that’s only hurting yourself and the team.” # # # Here in the Giants kitchen, team chefs Joe Day and Matt Shepard are whipping up pregame meals. The special of the day? Well, that depends on the latest readouts regarding vitamins and minerals from the sports science testing. The chefs never get to see individual player data, but Head keeps them apprised of teamwide gaps. A day earlier, for example, tests revealed that a number of players were Vitamin B-12 deficient. So Day and Shepard spent this day adding crab, shrimp and clam chowder to the menu. It’s a welcome challenge for the chefs, who embrace the nutrition revolution. “In the past, it was even worse: Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, hot dogs, a sundae machine — it was like a 7-Eleven in here,” Day said. “Nobody had really any kind of a concept or effort to make everything clean. From then to now, it’s night and day.” A look around cabinets and refrigerators reveals that this former convenience store is now more like a farmers market. There are pre-made kale juice packs, as well as bins full of ginger and turmeric, which have been shown to help reduce inflammation.

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Besides the meals from the chefs, Head will whip up recovery shakes using only certified ingredients. The shakes are individualized based on testing: Posey gets a different shake than Pence, who gets a different one from Madison Bumgarner. “I have a big spread sheet, and it looks like a football play list,” Head said. “Every day I go in and I make these drinks, and it’s based on this environment, the type of game, the intensity.” # # # Posey is grateful for the numbers. But just as with the back of his baseball card, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Coming off a season in which he caught a career-high 123 games, the four-time All-Star said there are times when he doesn’t bother looking at the lab-rat readouts. The Golden Urinal trophy goes to the Giants' most hydrated player. The Golden Urinal trophy goes to the Giants’ most hydrated player. “I’ve had this conversation with Geoff: Regardless of what the machine tells me, I need to be ready to play every day,” Posey said. “And I don’t want to come in with the pre-notion that I’m sub-par or deficient in a certain area. “So I’m a little bit cautious. It’s not like I can say, ‘Oh, I’m going to take the day off because I’m not in the green today.’ I don’t think fans would understand.” Head understands, too. He said the goal of his program isn’t to have all the answers. It’s to have the odds forever in the Giants’ favor. “Injuries are a part of baseball. It is a combat sport at high intensity, and injuries will happen, unfortunately,” he said. “We are not saying that our sports science program will stop all injuries from happening. But we are doing everything we can as a sports medicine department to help prevent the injuries that can be preventable.” With that, Head had to end the interview. Players were starting to file in, already flush with excitement. San Jose Mercury News Hashtag Hunter Pence: The Giants’ own social media star Courtney Cronin Hunter Pence is a creator. Sure, the right fielder produces runs with a patented line-drive swing for the San Francisco Giants, but that’s not the only reason he is trending. He takes special, sentimental moments like his Disney World marriage proposal and turns them into viral content. He has an uncanny knack for making people laugh by poking fun at himself, dressing up as robber Marv from Home Alone or Pedro from the cult classic Napoleon Dynamite. Want to see how Pence views the world? Look no further than his Snapchat.

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No, really. Those Snapchat glasses provide a first-hand account on what Pence actually sees. Through all of his creating, the right fielder is giving the public more than just a glimpse at his life on and off the field. Pence isn’t afraid to show the depths of his personality, a stratosphere many athletes aren’t willing to venture into. Like other athletes, Pence enjoys and deserves his privacy, but his passion is sharing his passions, experiences and every day cool moments with others. Pence is a bit of a social media guru with active followings across Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. He actively documents what’s going on in his world, giving new light to the meaning of player-fan engagement. It’s what earned him a nomination from the Shorty Awards, which annually honors the top creators and producers on social media. “I don’t think we can help notice it, whether it’s him or Lexi, his wife,” Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford said. “They’re both always posting something. I don’t think we have anyone else quite on his level.” Twitter was in the beginning of its existence when Pence began his career with the Houston Astros in 2007. Back then, social media was often viewed as an invasion of privacy. “When I started doing it everyone was like, ‘Hey, I’m going to the bathroom, Hunter. Why don’t you Tweet about it,’ Pence said. As social media usage increased over the years, Pence was able to show his teammates what was at the core of his own social strategy. “You open a lot of doors when you show your personality and let that shine,” he said. “This is a cool experience that needs to be shared with your family, your friends. You’re not guaranteed anything, so really take it in and enjoy it.” Pence married Alexis Cozombolidis during the offseason and has taken the “honeymoon phase” of a marriage to a new level. This goes beyond Instagramming a picture from date night or vacations. What might the Pence’s look like 60 years into marriage? Hunter and Alexis wanted to find out, so they dressed up in full “old people” getup complete with grey hair, wrinkles and killer matching jumpsuits and posted a future conversation between the two in 2077. Spoiler: Hunter becomes a little hard of hearing. The right fielder doesn’t have to look far to draw inspiration for what makes good social content. Alexis is a YouTuber, garnering hundreds of thousands of views the best her web series “Let’s Get Lexi” has to offer. Alexis shoots, edits and produces these fun, lighthearted videos by herself. She’s done her own version of MTV’s Cribs, allowing viewers a look into their Scottsdale home, hosted a Newlywed Challenge with Giants’ closer Derek Law and his wife Chelsea, allowed Pence to hilariously voice over one of her makeup tutorials and shown viewers what she carries with her in a segment titled “WTF is in my purse.”

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It’s easy to see how humor helps the two make such good content. “I always make the joke that she makes a living making fun of me,” Pence said. “She’s opened up my mind to creating, how important that is, and how good it is for your soul to try and create something. It just feels good.” Over the years, social media has become more than a method for athletes to allow behind-the-scenes access into the locker room or their lives away from the sport. It’s given them the ability to control their own message. With outlets like The Players’ Tribune, athletes no longer need the media to get their word out. A simple Tweet or caption on Instagram is all that’s required for the word to come from the horse’s mouth. “Before social media, the power of the pen was huge and whatever they wrote down was all anyone had to read,” Pence said. “Now we can say whatever we want. You have to be very careful what you say but it’s also very powerful. You have the opportunity to share your message, to communicate whatever it is you’re comfortable with.” And Pence is more than comfortable sharing. Sometimes it’s as simple as coming up with a hashtag to describe how he’s feeling in that moment. “Whatever you come up with, always hashtag it,” he said. “The weirder the better. #LetsGetOdd.” San Jose Mercury News Q&A with Giants closer Mark Melancon: Drones, sharks and living on the edge Courtney Cronin Mark Melancon thrives off the moments that send his adrenaline into overdrive, and that’s not just when the fate of a game rests on his shoulders. The new San Francisco Giants closer spends his life away from baseball seeking out adventures that include swimming with sharks, mountain biking, hot air ballooning and trying to keep his drones away from a crash landing. His thrill-seeking nature is part of his identity. Given the qualities that comprise most of baseball’s closers, that’s no surprise. If history teaches us anything, it shows that to be successful in this position, you have to take a walk on the wild side. — Question: Where did your adventurous side come from?

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Answer: My dad was a big part of it. When I was 7 he took me bungee jumping. I wasn’t heavy enough so he put weights around my ankles to help me get heavy enough on the scale. That was one of the first adventurous things that I did. I had to be 75 pounds. I think I was 71 pounds. Q: You and your wife, Mary Catherine, started a collective bucket list of thrill-seeking excursions. That’s a pretty cool way to keep track of the things you both want to do. A: For my wedding present, a calligrapher wrote out our bucket list and she framed it. We have it hanging in our bathroom. It’s a piece of art, but it’s also a goal and a checklist we’ve been trying to knock off. It was created when we started dating and we haven’t added to it because it’s framed, but we’ll get through this one and we’ll start another one for sure. Q: How did you come up with the items on there? A: It was about 10 years ago when we created it. We’ve been married for seven. So it’s funny to think about if I were to re-do one, there would be a lot of other and different stuff on there. But I’m glad we have this one because we can always build on the second one. Q: What’s the last thing you were able to check off? A: We did a blimp ride last season. We’ve gotten about half the list finished. Q: One of the items on there was diving with Great White Sharks in New Zealand. What was the most nerve-wracking part of that? A: We’re in a cage, but the craziest part was the current was making us sway back and forth. The cage has these one-by-one foot holes in it. They’re not small holes, so if that current takes you and you go and put your arm out, you don’t want to put your arm through the hole. You kind of have to brace yourself. I did that once and that’s what scared me the most. The sharks do not take their eyes off you. They’re coming in, bumping up against the cage. Just being in there watching them, knowing that they always have their eyes on you is kind of scary in a sense. Q: So when you’re not swimming with sharks, you’ve been known to have a pretty good handle on drones. Have you mastered the steering aspect yet? A: I love drones. I love any type of technology that’s out there. I don’t know if mastered is the right word. I think I’ve gone through about six or seven of them. One’s in the ocean. I wouldn’t say mastered by any means but at least I can get it up in the air. Q: When you’re not looking for your next adventure, you spend a lot of time researching various aspects of sports science. Where did you draw that interest? A: Just seeing what teams are doing and how much that one percent – if you can add that to your success, it’s going to be huge. Everybody at this level is top notch. It’s hard to separate yourself. Maybe there’s a tool, a piece of technology out there that can give you some information that you wouldn’t have had otherwise. I just love learning. I love getting better. It creates so many conversations and allows you to learn about yourself.

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Q: Learning and teaching go hand-in-hand. You’ve been a teacher of the game to people all across the world. Now you have an opportunity to be a bearer of knowledge to a young group of relievers. How do you approach teaching your peers? A: I really feel that I have a lot to give and a lot of experience that people wouldn’t want to have, really. I’ve learned from a lot of mistakes and it’s great. Q: Is there anyone in the bullpen that reminds you of yourself when you were starting out? A: I see a few guys that I think I’ll be able to help a lot. Derek Law is one in particular. He’s already got the makings to have a great cutter. He’s got some deception to him. I think just dialing in on a few things will really help him. Q: There’s been a great deal made about the importance of your role for the Giants and why the team went after you so hard in free agency. How do you channel the pressure brought on by this role into what you hope to accomplish this season? A: Well gosh, that’s what I signed here for. That’s what I wanted. We have such a great team and if I can help fill a gap, that’s going to be great. San Jose Mercury News Will Mark Melancon be the ninth-inning antidote Giants desperately need? Andrew Baggarly They charge through the bullpen gate, often to the sounds of heavy metal fanfare, always to embrace the pressure. Yet most of the great closers in baseball history first slipped into the ninth inning through a side door. Trevor Hoffman was an infielder who swung a light bat. Same with Joe Nathan. Mariano Rivera, a decent starting pitcher in the minors, had no hope to crack the Yankees rotation. Robb Nen’s shoulder couldn’t withstand throwing 100 pitches. Troy Percival squatted behind the plate before he squinted from the mound. Kenley Jansen shed his chest protector, too. So many of baseball’s elite closers are made, not born. They are often failed or middling starters, too wild to be effective or possessing a mastery of too few pitches to survive facing a lineup multiple times. They often tote medical files that contain more red flags than a slalom course. No Little League coach takes the strongest arm on his team and reserves it for three measly outs. For so many who earned legendary status in baseball’s most pressurized role, becoming a closer was a career save. “I guess that makes me a little different,” Mark Melancon said. The Giants, who coughed up a franchise-record 32 save opportunities last season, were desperate to acquire a closer this past winter. Rather than find one through improvisation, they gave $62 million to a rare soul who came to the role straight out of central casting.

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Melancon began life as a bullpen fireman while a freshman at the University of Arizona, mostly because the Wildcats needed a closer and freshmen do as they’re told. He performed well in the College World Series. The next year, Arizona coach Andy Lopez planned to move Melancon to his rotation. He recruited a junior college kid to handle the ninth. The kid didn’t make his grades. “I had already done it,” Melancon said, “so I kept doing it.” He is still doing it, now at an elite level. Over the past four seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals, Melancon has recorded 147 saves in 162 chances. But it’s his rate statistics that show why Manager Bruce Bochy lobbied so hard to sign him, and why he has become one of the most dependable closers in this decade. Over the past four seasons, he has a 1.80 ERA, allowed 0.91 baserunners per inning and 0.3 home runs per nine innings — a combination that no Giants closer in franchise history (minimum 25 saves) has matched in a single season. Melancon uses his cutter to keep the ball off the barrel and get efficient contact outs. He’ll miss his share of bats, too. But mostly, he sucks the drama out of the ninth inning. Brian Wilson might have embodied “Torture Baseball” for the Giants in 2010. Melancon would rather just throw 10 pitches and shake hands. “I thought it was great when the Giants signed Mark,” Nen said. “He’s got great stuff, he’s got great makeup, he’s gone out and proven himself over the last three or four years. “It’s going to make Boch’s job a little bit easier. He can throw him out there and say, ‘Here’s my guy, try to beat him.’ He’s going to be fun to watch.” * * * There was a time when Melancon hoped to be used in the rotation. He knew that relievers usually didn’t get drafted high or receive jackpot contracts down the line. Huston Street was a rare exception as a first-round pick who was used as a college closer. Drew Storen was another. The Giants once took Rice closer David Aardsma 22nd overall in the 2002 draft. But wherever Melancon went, his team had a need in the ninth inning. So he put team first, and pitched last. And he was too darn good to move. “I heard it from every pitching coach I had,” said Melancon, who grew up in the Denver area. “They would always say, ‘You know, I like how big your repertoire is, I like how you know how to pitch, I like the way you go about it, and I’d love to see you as a starter. But I just don’t want to slow you down. I don’t want you to be here longer than you need to. You’re just progressing too fast.”

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Melancon, 32, had to overcome a lost year to Tommy John surgery in the Yankees system, which wasn’t much of a surprise. The only reason he had slipped to them in the ninth round of the 2006 draft (four rounds after current Giants teammate George Kontos) was because of elbow concerns. That interruption aside, Melancon has been one of the most durable and in-demand relievers in the major leagues. He has been traded four times, from the Astros to the Red Sox to the Pirates, who dealt him to the Nationals at the Aug. 1 trade deadline last season. The Giants tried hard for him at the trade deadline — not hard enough, GM Bobby Evans later lamented — and they wanted to ensure they didn’t miss out again. So after years of eschewing the big-dollar deals for a closer, they gave Melancon a four-year contract that set a record for relievers before Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen topped it later in the winter. It’s the first time the Giants have given a multiyear deal to attract a free-agent closer since the winter prior to the 2005 season, when they gave Armando Benitez a disastrous, three-year, $21 million contract. But after the season the Giants had, the alternative to signing Melancon would’ve cost them even more dearly. Of their 32 blown saves, nine came in September and two more came in their N.L. Division Series loss to the Chicago Cubs. They lost a staggering nine games in which they led entering the ninth inning, not counting the unthinkable: the three-run lead they blew to the Cubs while losing Game 4 to send them home. “It takes a tough club to bounce back and be resilient, and you have to be,” Bochy said. “We can say all those things. But when you get enough body blows and lose enough games late, it will affect a ballclub. It does. It can shake their confidence and have them thinking, ‘Hey, at any time, we can lose this game.’ That’s the last thing you want to be going through their heads.” * * * Mariano Rivera became baseball’s all-time saves leader on the strength of one pitch. For decades, and with seasons on the line, hitters knew his cut fastball was coming. They still couldn’t get the barrel on it. The cutter transformed Melancon from a strong-armed reliever drafted by the Yankees to one of baseball’s best, too. But he didn’t learn the pitch from the master. It began with Billy Connors, a Yankees pitching coach, and continued after he was traded to the Astros. Another reliever, Brandon Lyon, showed Melancon a different grip that allowed him to repeat the pitch. But he considered it his fourth-best pitch, and relievers have a mantra: Don’t get beat with anything other than your best. So he kept the cutter tucked in a back pocket in Houston, and then following a trade to the Red Sox. Melancon’s 2012 season in Boston stands as his career outlier. He had a 6.20 ERA in 41 games and never got comfortable while pitching for manager Bobby Valentine. Three games into the season, he had a loss (in the opener) and a blown save.

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Then came the lowest point: an appearance in an 18-3 loss to the Texas Rangers in which Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz took him deep. He became just the eighth pitcher in 90 years to give up three home runs without recording an out. He had given up homers to five of the 18 batters he faced. He knew before walking into Valentine’s office after the game that he would be shipped to the minors. “For me, that was the best year ever,” Melancon said. “It was horrible in so many ways, but now I look at it and I’m like, ‘That was the girlfriend I’m glad I didn’t marry.’ “My back was against the wall, I had to go to Triple-A for a month, and I knew if I didn’t perform, I could be done. And sometimes when you’re put in that position, in anything in life, it’s put up or shut up, and this is your time to shine and you know what’s at stake. I still use that and still think about that, and it’s awesome.” The other reason he is thankful for his struggles: It led to a trade to the Pirates, and the final component in the evolution of his cutter. He needed someone to believe in it. He found his champion in Pirates catcher Russell Martin. “He was the biggest help,” Melancon said. “It’s, ‘OK, I have this weapon,’ but I didn’t really know how to use it. The confidence factor, the knowledge factor , the stubbornness, those things are what he taught me. It was just having someone back there saying, ‘Hey, listen, this is awesome, let’s use it.’ The confidence I have in that pitch, he gave that to me.” In return, Melancon has imbued his teammates with confidence that their good works won’t go unrewarded. * * * Trevor Hoffman ranks second all time with 601 saves. He racked up most of them while pitching for Bochy in San Diego. Melancon’s fastidious routine off the field and his mentality on the mound allow Bochy to make an easy connection to Hoffman. They are both University of Arizona products. They even race to the mound to the hard edge of AC/DC, although Melancon prefers “Thunderstruck” to “Hell’s Bells.” Mostly though, they both provide the same sense of security. “It takes a certain player and mentality to handle that role, and it shows they’re valued with the contracts they’re getting,” Bochy said. “I can speak from first-hand experience. I had the best closer in the game, and the one year we didn’t have him because he was on the DL, it was a struggle for us. It’s just not that easy to fill that spot.” There were plenty of familiar faces to welcome Melancon to Scottsdale this spring. He played with Hunter Pence in Houston. He worked out with right-handed prospect Tyler Beede this past offseason. His former Arizona Wildcats catcher, Nick Hundley, signed with the Giants a few weeks before players reported to camp.

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He didn’t need much time to win over everyone else. “What I’ve noticed is he’s very methodical,” catcher Buster Posey said. “He’s got a plan each day. There’s no wasted time with him. That’s probably one of the reasons he’s been so successful. He’s so diligent with his preparation.” A closer’s routine is about more than staying in good physical condition. It’s a mental necessity. “You rely on that routine,” Hoffman said. “There are times you really need it. It can be a crazy position, and I found that the more you can control the process and the preparation, the better you can handle the emotions when one doesn’t go your way. You can fall back on that routine.” Starting pitchers have their routine, too. Melancon is no longer curious about it. He found his calling earlier than most. “You know, there’s something about having to be on point from the very first pitch,” Melancon said. “If you told a starter, ‘Every start, you’ve got to be perfect from that first inning,’ it would change things. “I’ll hear starters say, ‘Oh, I should have known, in the bullpen I was missing here or there. I was able to make an adjustment in the third inning.’ And … I mean, third inning? I don’t have a third inning. It’s just a different position, and I love it.” Hoffman presented Melancon with his namesake award as the game’s top reliever at the 2015 World Series in Kansas City. He reached out to congratulate him after he signed with the Giants. Hoffman let Melancon know that he was about to pitch for a manager who “has a way of letting people be themselves.” Hoffman laughed when it was mentioned that Melancon might always be the second best reliever to come out of the University of Arizona. “Oh, no, hopefully he’ll be No.1,” Hoffman said. “I think he might be already. I don’t have claim to that title. I mean, I was an infielder there.” San Jose Mercury News Giants notes: Chris Marrero does it again, matches Bryce Harper for spring home run lead Andrew Baggarly MESA, Ariz. – Chris Marrero ended the Giants’ Cactus League schedule the same way he began it: with a game-winning home run in the ninth inning. All told, Marrero cranked eight home runs this spring, including his walk-off shot that beat Puerto Rico’s World Baseball Classic squad in an exhibition game March 8. He is tied with the Nationals’ Bryce Harper for the most home runs this spring by a major league player – a fact that might mean something extra to Marrero, who was once the Nationals’ first-round draft pick but didn’t develop into the player they once envisioned. This would mean more to him, though: winning a spot on the Giants’ opening day roster.

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If the Giants make decisions based on protecting their inventory and preserving their depth, then Marrero would begin at Triple-A Sacramento. He cannot opt out of his minor league contract until June 1. But if they make decisions based on performance, then there’s no doubt Marrero has won his place. There simply would be no denying him. His home run in the Giants’ Cactus League finale was a three-run shot in the ninth inning that erased a two-run deficit in the Giants’ 10-7 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park. It came off Pierce Johnson, a minor leaguer who isn’t a candidate to be on the Cubs roster. That part didn’t matter. The contact was more impressive than whom it came against. The drive was a screamer that hit the center field berm with the force of an arrow. “Oh, he touched it, too,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “You know, the last game, it seems fitting he’d do something like that. This kid has done all he can do to be on the club. I like his swing and his attitude and the work he’s put in. It’s a great signing for us.” Marrero, 28, hasn’t played in the big leagues since a brief stint with the Nationals in 2013 but he’s coming off a big season with the Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate last year. He is a competent first baseman and Bochy planned to play him in left field during the final three Bay Bridge exhibition games. The Giants would like a right-handed complement to Jarrett Parker in left field, and Michael Morse was becoming a lock for that role before he pulled his hamstring. Their lack of right-handed bench power has been an obvious weakness; they have just one pinch homer from the right side over the past two seasons combined. So Marrero’s big swings in the late innings might as well count for double. “This kid, you see when he goes out there that he’s got great focus,” Bochy said. “He’s got that quiet intensity and determination. From Day 1, you can see it. He bears down every at-bat. And you’ve seen it in these games: he wants to be the one up there when the game’s on the line.” The Giants appear to have settled on 2B/3B Aaron Hill to join 1B/3B Conor Gillaspie, outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and catcher Nick Hundley on the bench. That would leave one spot for Marrero, outfielder Justin Ruggiano or infielder Kelby Tomlinson. Marrero said he would be disappointed if the Giants sent him to Triple-A Sacramento, “but even if I had the option (to leave now), I wouldn’t. They’ve treated me really well here. I want to make this team, but Bruce Bochy knows how to construct a team that’s going to win. He understands what it takes. So if I’m not part of it, I’ll work hard and wait for my turn.” — Denard Span was the Giants’ hottest hitter in the final week of camp. He kept it going Tuesday when he led off the game with a home run against former Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta. Then he bunted for a single in his next at-bat. He stole second base. And to top it off, he scored from second on a wild pitch.

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No question, Span is in a better place physically and mentally this season. “He’s a different player,” Bochy said. “Not just running but throwing and his swing. He’s really been playing some terrific ball, some inspiring ball, and that’s really what you need at the top of the order.” — Josh Osich, who was on the bullpen bubble, did not retire any of the three left-handed batters he faced. It didn’t help that Ruggiano got fooled by a catchable, wind-blown fly ball in the right field corner that bounced off the track for a ground-rule double. … Hernandez made a running catch near the wall to take an extra-base hit away from Anthony Rizzo. … The Giants officially were 15-16 in the Cactus League portion of their spring, but they finished at .500 if you count the victory over Puerto Rico’s WBC squad. San Jose Mercury News Matt Cain survives against Cubs, but did he show enough to be the Giants’ fifth starter? Andrew Baggarly MESA, Ariz. – Matt Cain spent most of the spring getting beat up. He probably trailed on points to rookie Ty Blach in the competition for the No.5 spot in the Giants rotation. In the Giants’ final Cactus League exhibition Tuesday, and perhaps Cain’s final round, the right-hander did not draw the most promising sparring partner. The World Champion Chicago Cubs sent out most of their regulars, and six of them batted from the left side. They did not knock Cain out. So this one will go to the cards. Cain showed improved stuff and got better results for the second consecutive start, and although he was charged with four runs in 5 1/3 innings, he also stretched himself to 99 pitches. Cain showed a good changeup, which he needed against all those left-handers. He recorded five strikeouts and all 11 of his contact outs came in the air, most of them cans of corn or infield pop-ups. He even added an RBI double. Giants manager Bruce Bochy did not tip his hand. He was not effusive in his praise of Cain, but called the outing an improvement. Most notably: Bochy said Cain was healthy. So there doesn’t appear to be a justifiable reason for the Giants to put their longest tenured player on the disabled list to start the season. “He did a good job out there against a tough lineup,” Bochy said following the 10-7 exhibition victory. “Today was again an improvement. He used his changeup a lot today, threw good secondary pitches. He got up there with the pitch count. He’s healthy. “It’s something we’ll discuss, what we’ll do here with this staff. But it’s good to see Matt get better as the spring has gone along.”

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If the Giants have informed Cain of his status, his acting skills were sharp as he met with reporters. He said he had no idea what would happen or who would pitch when the Giants need a fifth starter April 7 at San Diego. “I’m just going to be ready for the fifth day unless I’m told otherwise,” said Cain, who finished with a 7.82 ERA in seven games. A slaughterhouse start against the Cubs might have made it easier for the Giants to deliver bad news to a respected pitcher who is making $20 million in the final guaranteed year of his contract. Instead, Cain made a good pairing with catcher Nick Hundley while paying for just one pitch in his first five innings – the one that No.9 batter Chesny Young hit for a two-run home run. Cain continued to sound like a pitcher who expected to open in the rotation, even if he hasn’t received confirmation. “I finished the spring feeling good about all my pitches and about my mechanics,” he said. “So … yeah, ready to go.” Cain said the fly ball vs. ground ball outs didn’t matter to him as much as whether contact was off the barrel. He acknowledged that pitching coach Dave Righetti aired him out for giving up so many two-strike hits, encouraging him to mix sequences and nibble more. “I was getting beat a lot when I was ahead in the count,” Cain said. “Rags came up to me and said, `That’s enough.’ You figure out a different way to do it. You’ve got the ability with two strikes to expand.” Perhaps that is what the Giants most wanted to see from Cain this spring. They were judging more than the stuff and the delivery. They were judging the competitiveness. They were judging whether he still had some fight left in him. The fight is going to the cards now. San Jose Mercury News Giants inform Jimmy Rollins of his roster status, await response Andrew Baggarly MESA, Ariz. – Jimmy Rollins had hoped for a Bay Area homecoming. The Giants hoped to have an experienced and charismatic presence to back up their pair of Gold Glove middle infielders. But it wasn’t a perfect match this spring. Rollins hit .125 in 40 at-bats, and Giants manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged that the veteran shortstop had been informed about his status with the team. “We’ve talked to Jimmy and he knows the scenario and the situation,” Bochy said. “We’re just waiting to hear back from him.”

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Bochy did not definitively say that Rollins failed to make the club, but he didn’t have to. The former NL MVP, four-time Gold Glove Award winner and three-time All-Star did not make the trip to Sloan Park for the club’s final Cactus League exhibition game. Rollins, 38, can opt out of his contract on Thursday but could ask for his release if he feels he has a chance to catch on with another club. The Giants have invited the Alameda Encinal High School legend to participate in the final three exhibitions in the Bay Area, including Saturday’s game at the Coliseum. Rollins hasn’t played a major league game since last June, when the White Sox released him and he received no major league offers from other clubs. The signals were just as clear that infielder Aaron Hill has made the team. Hill was the only remaining Article XX-B free agent in camp, meaning that he would have to be paid a $100,000 retention bonus if he remained in camp past Tuesday’s 9 a.m. deadline but did not make the opening day roster. The Giants almost certainly would have released Hill before the deadline if they did not envision him making the club. The Giants earlier had parted ways with the other two Article XX-B qualifiers: infielder Gordon Beckham and right-hander David Hernandez. MLB.com Giants no strangers to award season Chris Haft SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- With apologies to the creators of the classic film "Casablanca," when it comes to the Giants and regular-season awards, you can basically round up the usual suspects. Buster Posey stands at the front of the line, closely backed by Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Brandon Crawford. Joe Panik and manager Bruce Bochy aren't far away. Top prospect Tyler Beede isn't on the premises yet, but he could join the group under the right circumstances. In 2012, Posey won the National League Most Valuable Player Award. If Posey did it once, he can do it again, though he has not come close to matching that year's slash line (.336/.408/.549) or the 24 home runs and 103 RBIs he accumulated. He has, however, remained effective enough offensively to win three Silver Slugger Awards as the league's most productive catcher ('12, '14, '15). Moreover, Posey's overall game is enhanced by his defensive excellence, exemplified by the Gold Glove Award he won last season for defensive excellence. This marked the first time he earned this distinction, and, still spry at age 30, he has the wherewithal to capture it again. Bumgarner has lingered on the fringes of the NL Cy Young Award race since 2011, when he finished 11th. From '13 on, the imposing left-hander has placed ninth, sixth and fourth twice in the voting. Bumgarner's considerable hitting ability enhances his reputation as a singular performer. He won back-to-back Silver Slugger Awards in 2014-15 and has hit 14 home runs, more than any active pitcher.

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Cueto has finished among the leaders in NL Cy Young Award balloting three times, including sixth last year, when he recorded his best single-season winning percentage (.783) with an 18-5 mark. Cueto can opt out of his six-year, $130 million contract after this season, and though the right-hander says he's not dwelling on that, it'll doubtlessly spur him to excel. Followers of the Giants have long known that Crawford ranks among baseball's top all-around shortstops, if not the most talented. His performance in the World Baseball Classic, during which he batted .385 and made seemingly every play that came his way, guaranteed that he shall never again be overlooked. Crawford's diverse skills have been recognized by the sport's cognoscenti. He's the two-time reigning NL Gold Glove Award winner at shortstop and a 2015 Silver Slugger Award recipient. Panik won last year's NL Gold Glove Award for second basemen, making him the first Giant at the keystone position to capture this honor since Robby Thompson in 1993. Widely considered a future Hall of Fame inductee, Bochy will remain a perennial candidate for the Manager of the Year Award -- though he hasn't won the award since 1996 with San Diego. MLB.com Cain makes final case for rotation spot Chris Haft and Carrie Muskat MESA, Ariz. -- Matt Cain, vying to secure the fifth starter spot, gave up four runs over 5 1/3 innings and helped himself by hitting a two-run double in the Giants' 10-7 win over the Cubs on Tuesday in front of the largest home crowd this spring, 15,513, at Sloan Park. The Giants are considering Cain or Ty Blach for the last spot in the rotation, and Cain kept himself in contention with his outing, his seventh appearance this spring. The right-hander retired the first seven batters he faced before Jake Arrieta singled with one out in the Cubs third. Chesny Young then homered to left. One of the runs charged to Cain scored when Josh Osich allowed hits to three of the four batters he faced in relief of Cain in the sixth. "I know that I'm ready to be able to throw the ball the way I need to and I know that I finished spring being good with all my pitches and my mechanics," said Cain, who finished the Cactus League with a 7.82 ERA after allowing five hits, walking one and striking out five. Cain refused to speculate about his status on the pitching staff. But he sounded as if he'll be surprised not to be named the No. 5 starter. "I've been going out every fifth day," he said. "That's the mindset I'm going to keep going with, and we'll see what happens." Denard Span launched Arrieta's second pitch of the game onto the right-field berm for his second spring home run. Two outs later, Brandon Crawford doubled and then scored on Jarrett Parker's single to go ahead 2-0. Arrieta did face eight batters that inning and struck out the side. "There's still some things we'll continue to work on, but that's the story of the season," Arrieta said of his outing.

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With one out in the Giants' second, Span reached on a bunt single, stole second and then scored on a wild pitch by Arrieta as the ball skipped past catcher Miguel Montero. Arrieta singled with one out in the third and Young followed with his third spring homer to pull within 3-2. After Cain put the Giants up by three, Javier Baez singled home a run, Tommy La Stella doubled in another off Osich, and Ian Happ hit a two-run double to give the Cubs the lead. Arrieta finished with seven strikeouts over four innings. His next start will be April 4, the second game of the regular season, against the Cardinals. "Everybody's hungry," Arrieta said of the feeling in the Cubs clubhouse. "One thing that stands out for me is health -- everybody's healthy. Everybody's getting the work load they need. ... I don't think anybody is complacent. I think we're happy with where we're at. Guys are working, guys getting their reps and guys are hungry." The Giants scored five runs in the ninth on Chris Marrero's three-run homer, and solo shots by Justin Ruggiano and Tim Federowicz. Giants Up Next: After a welcome scheduled day off at home Wednesday, the Giants will begin the three-game Bay Bridge Series on Thursday against the A's at AT&T Park. Game time is 7:15 p.m. PT, live on MLB.TV, as San Francisco right-hander Johnny Cueto will oppose Oakland lefty Sean Manaea. Cubs Up Next: The Cubs wrap up Cactus League action Wednesday when they play host to the Athletics at Sloan Park in Mesa. First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. CT. John Lackey gets the start as the Cubs say goodbye to Mesa. The Cubs are expected to set a record in attendance at home. They've been averaging slightly more than 15,000 per game at Sloan Park. MLB.com Rollins appears unlikely for Giants' roster Chris Haft MESA, Ariz. -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy dropped a very large hint that Jimmy Rollins won't be on his club's roster when it opens the 2017 season Sunday at Arizona. Asked about Rollins' absence from San Francisco's Cactus League exhibition finale Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs, Bochy said, "We're waiting to hear back. We talked to Jimmy. He knows the scenario and the situation. We're just waiting to hear back from him." The scenario is that other candidates for a utility infield spot, such as non-roster invitee Aaron Hill and hustling homegrown product Kelby Tomlinson, have more versatility than Rollins, who has played shortstop for virtually his entire 17-year Major League career. The situation was a dire one for Rollins, the 2007 National League Most Valuable Player and a three-time All-Star with Philadelphia. Though Rollins looked relatively comfortable at second base, the Giants never tried the 38-year-old at third. Moreover, the switch-hitting Rollins batted .125 (5-for-40) in 16 games.

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Even Bochy's remark about talking to Rollins sounded ominous. Without revealing players' identities, Bochy has repeated recently that he already has told various players they won't make the team, despite their presence on the active roster for the Bay Bridge Series beginning Thursday. Marrero mashes again: Continuing his prodigious hitting in clutch situations, non-roster invitee Chris Marrero slugged a three-run, ninth-inning home run to help lift the Giants to a 10-7 victory over the Cubs and sustain his momentum toward claiming a reserve role on the Opening Day roster. Marrero has a team-high seven home runs and a .672 slugging percentage, excluding a round-tripper he hit in the exhibition against the Puerto Rican national team that isn't counted in the Cactus League statistics. "It seems fitting that he would do something like that. He's done all he can do to be on this club," Bochy said. "I love his swing, his attitude, the work he's put in. ... He has a great approach. He has a quiet intensity and determination. From Day One you could see he bears down with every at-bat." • Bochy said Eduardo Nunez, who has been bothered much of the spring by a sore right shoulder, will play third base in the first two games of the Bay Bridge Series against the A's. Bochy added that Nunez, who can handle multiple infield and outfield positions, will play five innings at shortstop Saturday at Oakland. Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area Cain Makes Case For Giants' Rotation Spot In Final Cactus League Start Alex Pavlovic MESA, Ariz. — The Giants still have not publicly disclosed their full rotation, but Matt Cain sure sounded Tuesday like a guy who plans to start against the San Diego Padres on April 7. “I’ll be ready for the fifth day,” Cain said. “I’ll be ready until they’ve told me otherwise.” Tuesday’s outing seemed to indicate that if Cain hasn’t been told he’s the fifth starter, it will happen soon. He threw 99 pitches against the Cubs, which is not exactly the workload of a man preparing to be a long reliever or take on some other role. Cain’s day was blurred by an ugly finish, but for five innings, he was having by far his best outing of the spring. Cain recorded five strikeouts and got four popups through four. The balls were hit further in the fifth, but three flyouts got him through five on 84 pitches. Jason Heyward greeted Cain in the sixth with a double. After Gorkys Hernandez chased down a deep liner by Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez ended Cain's day with a single up the middle. The lineup Cain faced was a proper test given the stakes. The Cubs started Ben Zobrist, Heyward, Rizzo, Baez and Miguel Montero, and Cain handled them well until the sixth-inning rally. His lone blemish early on was a pitch that Chesny Young blasted for a two-run homer. “Today was an improvement,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He did a good job out there and went through a tough lineup. He used his changeup very well today.”

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Cain finished his spring with a 7.82 ERA, and in recent days, team officials have been less hesitant to plug Cain into that No. 5 spot. Ty Blach made his case by allowing two runs over six innings in his last start, but Blach also would be an easier fit in the bullpen, which will be without Will Smith for the entire season. Josh Osich’s struggles in relief of Cain on Tuesday could intensify the need for left-handed relief help. Bochy said last week that the Giants could use their fifth starter in a different way early on. They have a day off Monday, and Cain said he could be available out of the bullpen during the season’s first series if needed. No matter what the numbers say, Cain feels like he’s in a good place. “I know I’m ready to throw the ball the way I need to,” he said. “I feel good and my mechanics feel good. I’m ready to go.” Bochy expects to announce a decision on Thursday. If the staff was still waffling, Cain left the right final impression. “We’ll get together to discuss what to do here with the whole staff,” Bchy said. “But it’s good to see Matt get better as the spring went on.” Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area Giants Spring Training Day 44: Marrero Caps Huge Spring With Eighth Homer Alex Pavlovic MESA, Ariz. — The Giants went 0-62 last season when trailing after eight innings. Chris Marrero wasn’t around for any of that, but it’s a stat that could help Marrero as he tries to lock up a bench spot. The first baseman/left fielder crushed a three-run shot in the ninth inning Tuesday, wiping out a two-run deficit against the Cubs. Marrero also has two walk-off homers this spring. “This kid, you see it when he goes up there. He’s got great focus,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “It’s intensity and determination. From day one, you could see it in his at-bats. Late in the game, he seems very comfortable. He wants to go up there.” Tuesday’s homer, which shot out to right-center, was the eighth of the spring for Marrero. That ties him with a guy named Bryce Harper for the MLB lead, and the vast majority of Marrero’s bombs were no-doubters. “It’s been a great spring for him,” Bochy said. “The last game here, it seems fitting that he would do something like that. He’s already done it a couple of times. This kid has done all he can. I love his swing and the work that he’s put in.” With Michael Morse down, Marrero is the best remaining option as a power right-handed bat off the bench, a glaring need a year ago. Justin Ruggiano, another one in the mix, followed Marrero’s shot with one of his own. The homer was Ruggiano’s second of the spring. Ruggiano is a better fit defensively in the outfield, but Marrero has been solid at first and Bochy said he’s fine with what he’s seen in left field. “He’s still working on it,” Bochy said, noting that Marrero will play left field during the Bay Bridge Series.

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LEADING OFF: Denard Span saw a wild pitch bounce off the bricks behind home plate, and he never slowed down. Span sped around third in the second inning and slid in ahead of the throw. The notable part of the play wasn’t that a quirky bounce allowed Span to take 180 feet on a wild pitch. It was that his legs did. The 33-year-old has been a different guy in his second spring with the Giants. Last year, Span was coming off hip surgery. This spring, his old game has returned. “I’ve just been able to do the things I’ve always been able to do,” Span said. “I have more control of my body. I’m stronger. I had a full offseason and a full spring training to get my legs up under me. The last couple of weeks, I’ve felt much better and more confident.” A healthy and spry Span would be a big boost to a lineup that often looked flat in the second half last season Span showed off every aspect of his game Tuesday. He blasted a leadoff homer on Jake Arrieta’s second pitch, and during their second matchup, he put a perfect bunt down the third base line for a single. Span stole second easily before his race home. “He’s playing terrific baseball and he’s been a real inspiration, being our leadoff hitter,” Bochy said. “That’s what we needed — energy at the top of the order.” TRAINER’S ROOM: Eduardo Nuñez (shoulder) is feeling much better, and Bochy said he’ll play third base during the games at AT&T Park before getting four or five innings at shortstop on Saturday. Joe Panik (drilled in the back on Monday) said he’s feeling fine. POSITION BATTLES: Here’s the latest on Matt Cain, and here’s an update on Aaron Hill and Jimmy Rollins. ICYMI: Big news today from NBC Bay Area. Matt Williams, Javier Lopez and Cody Ross have joined out pre- and post-game shows. You can find stories about those guys on our homepage here. Those shows will also now be an hour long on both ends of the game, adding an extra hour of Giants coverage to your day. Which is good. That’s all on the way during the regular season. If you missed any of our spring coverage, you can find a bunch of features here, and podcasts here (spring pods included Mike Morse, Matt Cain, Mac Williamson, Jimmy Rollins and others, with one more coming this week). And in case you’re new to our coverage, the Twitter account is here and the Facebook page is here. Next stop, San Francisco … Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area Giants Appear To Have Decided Between Hill Or Rollins For Roster Spot Alex Pavlovic MESA, Ariz. -- Aaron Hill didn't play in the final Cactus League game, but he didn't need to. By simply being on the flight to San Francisco on Tuesday, Hill got good news. The veteran infielder was due a $100,000 bonus on Tuesday, and while the Giants haven't formally announced their roster, you don't pay a man that much money to come play three exhibition games against the A's. Hill appears to have made this club as a second backup infielder, along with Conor Gillaspie. Another veteran, Jimmy Rollins, got the news that the Giants are headed in a different direction.

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Team officials spoke with Rollins this week about their future plans. He was not on the travel roster Tuesday and did not attend the game against the Cubs. "We're waiting to hear back from him," manager Bruce Bochy said. "He knows the scenario and the situation. We're waiting to hear back." Rollins, 38, showed the Giants that he can still handle shortstop defensively, and he was a quick learner when he moved to second. But he hit just .119, falling behind Hill, Kelby Tomlinson and others in the mix for bench spots. It would seem unlikely that Rollins would want to get additional at-bats in Triple-A, but that feeling hadn't been fully conveyed to team officials Tuesday. There was a hope that Rollins, an East Bay native, might join the team for the Bay Bridge Series, which finishes Saturday in Oakland. Rollins grew up an A's fan. Rollins and Hill were part of a crowded infield group at the start of camp. Gordon Beckham also had a retention bonus and he asked to be released when he was told he wouldn't make the opening day roster. David Hernandez, the third player due a bonus, also was released. He promptly signed with the Atlanta Braves. Examiner Giants break camp with some questions answered — with a big one looming Jacob Palmer The San Francisco Giants broke camp in Arizona on Tuesday the same way they ended their 2016 regular season, with a game against the Chicago Cubs. There were two key differences. The outcome of the contest didn’t matter and the Giants won. Chris Marrero hit a three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning to give San Francisco a 10-7 win. The shot could give the first baseman/outfielder an opportunity to make the team as Michael Morse’s injury further exacerbates a lack of power hitting off the bench. “The last game here, it seems fitting that he would do something like that,” manager Bruce Bochy told reporters, according to CSN Bay Area. “He’s already done it a couple of times. This kid has done all he can. I love his swing and the work that he’s put in.” One person who won’t be on the team come Opening Day is Jimmy Rollins, who — according to media reports — has been told of his roster status. Bochy told reporters the Giants were waiting to hear back from him on his status for the Battle of the Bay Bridge, which begins Thursday at AT&T Park. Meanwhile, all signs point to Aaron Hill making the team as the infielder stayed with the Giants through the end of camp instead of requesting his release early — which likely would’ve been his move if he knew he wouldn’t be receiving a $100,000 bonus on Tuesday. That’s the same retention bonus that Gordon Beckham did not receive, leading to him asking to be off the team.

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There was no resolution for the biggest storyline of Giants spring training: What they’ll do with the fifth spot in the rotation. Matt Cain wasn’t terrible on Tuesday, allowing two runs over his first five innings before running into trouble in the fifth. Playing against a solid Cubs lineup that featured most of their stars, Cain struck out five and gave up just five hits over the full 5.1 innings. “Today was an improvement,” Bochy said of the start. But that doesn’t clear up if he’s won the spot in the rotation. Ty Blach, Cain’s competition, submitted a quality start when the Giants stretched his pitch count to test his ability to be a starter. But, the fact that he’s younger and left handed could force him into the bullpen. The process for Cain will remain the same, regardless of what the team announces Thursday. “I’ll be ready for the fifth day,” Cain told reporters. “I’ll be ready until they’ve told me otherwise.” Sports Illustrated San Francisco Giants: A 21st century Tiant Sports Illustrated Staff ace Madison Bumgarner, who already delivered a championship, is coming off his best regular season showing to date, and while his pitching—and hitting—offer considerable entertainment value, that of rotation-mate Johnny Cueto may surpass it. Not only did Cueto put up strong numbers (2.79 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 8.1 strikeouts per nine and 5.6 WAR) in the first season of his six-year, $130 million deal with San Francisco, but the 31-year-old righty also continued to show off an amazing and amusing variety of ways to befuddle hitters: six different pitches and four deliveries designed to upset their timing. In 2015, Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan provided a taxonomy that included the Traditional, the Quick Pitch, the Rocking Chair and the Tiant, the last named for Cuban hurler Luis Tiant, who literally put a twist on pitching thanks to a variety of unconventional deliveries during his storied 19-year career (1964–82) with six different teams. CBS Sports Giants' Jimmy Rollins: Left off Opening Day roster RotoWire Staff Manager Bruce Bochy informed Rollins on Tuesday that he did not make the Opening Day roster, CSN Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic reports. This news does not come as much of a surprise, as the 38-year-old hit just .125 (5-for-40) in 16 games this spring. Rollins has the option to remain in the organization as a minor league player, but no decision has made at this time. USA Today NL preview: Nationals, Dodgers among those aiming to topple Cubs USA Today Sports

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It looks like a simple script in the National League: Six teams — the Nationals, Mets, Cubs, Cardinals, Dodgers and Giants — gunning for five spots. Can anyone crash this party of elites? Are the Cubs headed for another coronation? USA TODAY Sports breaks down the NL. Pivotal players Stephen Strasburg, Nationals: A strained flexor mass knocked him out of the playoffs, perhaps the difference in Washington’s five-game loss to the Dodgers. He’s the National who, when 100%, turns them from a good team to a great one, capable of topping the Mets over 162 games and the Cubs or Dodgers in a playoff series. Hunter Pence, Giants: If the Giants are going to knock off the Dodgers for the first time in five years in the NL West, they badly need Pence to return to form. Pence hasn’t played a full season since 2014, having played just 158 games since San Francisco’s last World Series title. The Giants could use 25-homer and 100-RBI production in right field. Jay Bruce, Mets: He endured a miserable, nomadic two months after being traded at the deadline, but now the Texas native is trying to embrace New York, having moved his family into a Manhattan condo for the season. A resurgence by Bruce, who turns 30 on Monday, would give the Mets a major source of power to support stellar pitching. Adam Wainwright, Cardinals: For the first time in five years, Wainwright, 35, will not be the Cardinals’ opening-day starter after a subpar 2016 (13-9, 4.62 ERA) and an uneven spring. Now the club hopes he can provide midrotation-level performance. Andrew McCutchen, Pirates: At 30, he’s young enough to bounce back offensively after a grim 2016 — even if he might have lost a step. A move to right field will allow the Pirates to optimize their outfield defense. Derek Law, Giants: The Giants bullpen was atrocious last season, with a national meltdown in the division series against the Cubs. They added Mark Melancon to close, but Law could be the ideal setup man to push the Giants over the top, particularly with veteran reliever Will Smith out for the season. Gregory Polanco, Pirates: He hinted at a big year to come with a .579 batting average in five World Baseball Classic games and, at 25, might be on the verge of his first All-Star season. Jameson Taillon, Pirates: After two full seasons lost to injury, the long-hyped righty returned to action in 2016 and looked like he hadn’t missed a step in his development. Now 25, Taillon again looks like a potential rotation mainstay in Pittsburgh. Fluid forecast Marlins: The lineup is deep and dynamic and the fortified bullpen potentially great. Will the starters pitch well enough to mess with the Mets and Nationals? Giants: The perennial contenders feature a front end of a rotation that can hang with any club’s. But in the absence of any major offseason additions to the lineup, the Giants could struggle if core players such as Buster Posey, Joe Panik and Pence don’t bounce back.

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Rockies: They won’t win the NL West. They might not even contend for a wild-card spot. But, oh, with their young pitching and powerful lineup, they could create havoc, particularly when everyone is healthy by May. Phillies: Four consecutive losing seasons, but they now feature a mixture of veterans such as Michael Saunders and Howie Kendrick, emerging talent such as Odubel Herrera and more prospects on the way. Five bold predictions Trevor Story: Becomes the fourth shortstop to hit at least 40 home runs. Joey Votto: Puts up more MVP-like numbers — but won’t get a sniff of the award. Phillies: Will finish with a winning record. Cubs: Have a mild championship hangover. Mets: Win the pennant. MLB Trade Rumors West Notes: Giants, Halos, D-backs, Dodgers, Mariners Connor Byrne The Giants have informed 38-year-old shortstop Jimmy Rollins that he won’t make their roster, Andrew Baggarly of the East Bay Times was among those to report. San Francisco is now awaiting word on whether the longtime Phillie and 2007 NL MVP will accept a minor league assignment, per manager Bruce Bochy, but Baggarly notes that Rollins has a Thursday opt-out in his contract. This could conceivably be the end of the line for Rollins, who posted subpar seasons with the Dodgers and White Sox over the past two years. Chicago released him last June after a 41-game stint on the South Side, and he went on to ink a minors pact with the Giants in December. CNET.com SF Giants trying Halo headphones to get back to World Series Terry Collins With Opening Day next week, the Major League Baseball club, which has won three World Series championships this decade alone, made its partnership with Halo public Wednesday. The entire organization -- from its four minor league teams to the big leaguers -- will be using the high-tech devices this season. Halo uses a technology known as tDCS -- transcranial direct current stimulation -- to shoot electrical currents through the brain. The headphones' foam spikes are designed to speed up the neurons to the brain's motor cortex, a practice called "neuropriming," which the company says improves athletic performance. The San Francisco Giants' top outfield prospect Austin Slater uses Halo Sport headphones during a spring training workout. The team says it has seen player performance improve using the device.

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"We're trying to improve our team speed and explosiveness," Geoff Head, the Giants' sports scientist specialist, said during a phone interview from the team's spring training in Scottsdale, Arizona. "And we've already seen some improvement using the headphones." Many athletes use technology and wearable devices in an effort to gain an edge on the playing field. The announcement by the Giants and Halo comes about three weeks after the MLB said it's allowing players the option to wear Whoop biometric wrist monitors to track heart rate and fatigue during games this season. The Giants are the first major professional sports team to publicly acknowledge its testing Halo Sport headphones. More than 50 pro and college teams use the device, but many prefer not to be revealed for competitive reasons, said Halo co-founder Daniel Chao. The Golden State Warriors piloted the headphones during their record-breaking season last year. World-class athletes, such as US Olympic track star Mike Rodgers and NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones also buy into Halo's belief that a stronger brain equals a stronger body. New York Mets All-Star slugger Yoenis Cespedes uses Halo, as seen three weeks ago during a spring training workout that aired live during on ESPN's SportsCenter with baseball analyst and US Olympic softball star Jessica Mendoza. During the intense session, Mendoza said she noticed the "beams radiating through my head" from the headphones that "kinda felt like a small burning sensation." Mets strength and conditioning advisor Mike Barwis described it to her as having "a heightened neuro response." Meanwhile, top Giants pitching prospect Tyler Beede recently told "What Pros Wear" that he's impressed enough with the Halo headphones to believe they could be advantageous. "Just to give us an edge. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't, but there's a high percent chance, maybe it gives us an edge," he said. "[It feels] like little ants crawling on your head, it's pretty cool." Chao said he began working with the Giants shortly after a 2015 meeting with Geoff Head, a sports scientist, and Dave Groeschner, the team's longtime head trainer. The team agreed to use Halo headphones as in-house research during an offseason conditioning camp for its top 18 minor league prospects in Arizona in January 2016. "Anytime we want to introduce new technology, we want to make sure we do it from the ground up and do our due diligence before any buy-in," Head said. "With the technology boom, you can get fooled with some fancy, flashy devices that may not actually do what they say they're supposed to." Chao, borrowing a hockey reference, said, "As a company, all you want is a shot on goal. They either adopt them or not." For two weeks, the coaches split the minor leaguers into two groups -- nine players using Halo and nine not -- to measure and compare their training. Both groups participated in 20-minute daily warm-ups and an hour of training focusing on skill, mobility, speed and power.

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At the end, the Halo group made the biggest improvements in speed, including in the 20-yard dash, compared with the other group of players, who showed "modest" gains, Head said. "We thought there were significant enough improvements to believe that, yes, there is some validity to the science behind this and that it will make an impact on improving player performance," he said. Some experts, however, still aren't sure devices like Halo improve performance. Amy Yotopoulos, mind division director at the Stanford Center for Longevity, said earlier this year that more rigorous research needs to be done. "At this point, there's no evidence that this actually works," she said. Head declined to discuss the Giants' findings for competitive purposes (naturally). But he said the team is "comfortable and confident" with using the technology. "Some players have gravitated almost immediately with using the headphones as part of their daily routine," he said. "Overall, we believe there's some weight to this."