Timing is right for Sam Coonrod’s first save.

The timing of Sam Coon

rod’s first career save chance might have been coincidental. Then again, if a team wants to know what it has in a reliever before it trades him or other relievers, the ninth inning offers no better test.

A guy can throw 100 mph and still not have the proper heartbeat when trying to get the final three outs. Coonrod’s 123 inning to save Sunday’s 41 victory in Arizona suggests he does.

Manager Gabe Kapler cited some strategy for using Tyler

Rogers in the eighth and Coonrod in the ninth but said the decision had “a little bit” to do with seeing how Coonrod would react to the opportunity.

“We wanted to see basically 99 to 101,” Kapler said. “He threw strikes last time out. That’s telling us he’s confident and feeling good.”

Coonrod’s average fastball Sunday dipped to 97 mph and topped out at “only” 99, a possible byproduct of pitching for the second straight game. The

only numbers that mattered were 31, 31 and 43, signifying the groundballs he got from three dangerous hitters: Starling Marte, David Peralta and Christian Walker.

“We know one thing about Sam,” Kapler said. “His stuff is so good he really needs to fill the strike zone up. When he does that it’s difficult to get solid contact off him.”

Cahill update: Trevor Ca

hill’s MRI exam revealed joint inflammation and some longterm wear in his left hip. He took the test a day after he had to come out of his start with discomfort he said he has had in years past.

“Nothing was unexpected,” Kapler said.

The Giants have leeway in their rotation this week because of off days Monday and Thursday. Cahill possibly, but not likely, could take his next turn against Arizona at home Saturday, or the Giants could skip him. The medical staff put him on antiinflammatories.

Kevin Gausman’s next scheduled turn should be Tuesday at Coors Field, but Kapler has not announced a rotation. Gausman is a trade candidate, but the issue could be nothing more than the staff deciding which order to throw Gausman and Logan Webb in the twogame series after both pitched in Thursday’s doubleheader.

Briefly: Pinchhitter Wilmer Flores keyed the threerun eighth with a pinch double that followed a Brandon Crawford single, giving Flores extrabase hits in consecutive atbats after a 2for27 stretch. … Joey Bart struck out as a pinchhitter, leaving him 1for20 since the fourgame hit streak that started his career.