New reliever Alvarez reflects, Webb deals and Longoria crushes
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Say this about Jose Alvarez :He tells it like it is.
“As a pitcher, honestly, I never wore a cup,” the Giants’ newest reliever said. “I mean, before. And then I got hit right in there. Pretty weird, pretty painful. I have to wear a cup now.”
Alvarez, who signed a oneyear, $1.15 million contract Saturday, said he’s fully recovered from August surgery following a gruesome injury with the Phillies, taking a 105 mph line drive to the groin area.
Alvarez got the out with an underhanded toss to first base before collapsing and being carted off the field. “Testicle surgery,” as he called it, was performed a few days later.
“It’s tough to describe the pain I felt in the moment,” Alvarez said. “I don’t even know how I made the play, but I made it. I think the worse pain came after, when the doctor checked the uncom
fortable part. For two weeks, it was pretty bad.”
Alvarez said he’s fully recovered and had been working out and throwing off a mound before cutting his deal with the Giants.
⏩ Evan Longoria had another big hit, a seventhinning homer to give the Giants their first run in a 22 tie with the Diamondbacks. In his previous game, he hit a threerun double. He has been slowed by plantar fasciitis and was the designated hitter both games. The Giants are in no rush for him to play third base in a game; he’s getting ample reps on the side.
⏩ The Giants had a chance to win in the ninth with pinchrunner Marco Luciano at third and one out, but he was called out at the plate when trying to score on a grounder — and appeared safe. “It would’ve been nice to have replay on that play in particular,” manager said.
⏩ Logan Webb had mostly a clean two innings in his second start, and most encouraging were the changeups he threw to strike out three batters, a pitch the Giants want him to emphasize. Catcher Buster Posey quickly noticed the effectiveness of the changeup and kept calling for it.
⏩ Webb is taking advantage of the veteran presence among the starters in camp. Scott Kazmir is his locker mate. “I talk to him all the time,” said Webb, who also had a long talk with Aaron Sanchez to share their proball experiences. “Getting as much info from those guys as possible for me to use.”
⏩ Webb delivered an entertaining reply to a question about the designatedhitter rule no longer applying in 2021: “I always thought hitting would be a lot of fun, and then I got to DoubleA and saw these guys were throwing a little harder than the guys in high school. It’s cool to pick up a bat, but a little part of me wanted the DH forever because my last atbat in ’19 was a base hit. I was hoping to finish my hitting career with a base hit.” Indeed, in the penultimate game in 2019, Webb lashed a single off the Dodgers’ Hyanjin Ryu, his first hit in nine atbats.
⏩ Trayce Thompson played center field for the Diamondbacks, and Klay’s kid brother went hitless in four atbats. His could stick on the roster with right fielder Kole Calhoun shelved after knee surgery, but the key is contact. Thompson, who turns 30 next week, has two homers but has struck out 10 times in 24 atbats.
⏩ Speaking of brothers, the Giants’ Joe McCarthy and the Diamondbacks’ Jake McCarthy both played Monday. In the eighth inning, Joe hit a fly to left, and Jake caught it.