by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

AP photo: Seattle Mariners Shawn O’Malley is safe at first as San Francisco Giant first baseman Conner Gillaspie stretches missing the throw from third baseman Kelby Tomlinson in the third inning of Wednesday’s exhibition game

PEORIA AZ–March 16, 2016.  New San Francisco Giants hurler Jeff Samardzija worked four complete innings against the Seattle Mariners and gave up seven earned runs on six hits walked one and struck out three. His ERA is 8.31. I know it is only Spring Training but Samardzija and Cueto (the two biggest expenditures this off season for the Giants)are two key pitchers in the Giants rotation.

With Cueto is different. He pitched 212 innings last season with the World Champion Kansas City Royals, then 25 additional innings during his four postseason starts. About a week ago he was scratched from his first start of the season (Giants just cautious because of his workload last season) then two days ago at Hohokam Park, spring home of the Oakland Athletics he started the game and was hit by a line drive of the bat of leadoff hitter Billy Burns, Cueto stayed, but soon later didn’t feel well and left to have his head examined.

But this is only Spring Training. Back in 1990 I remember here in the Valley of the Sun, A’s right hander Bob Welch had a terrible spring, many in the media were asking manager Tony LaRussa, and pitching coach Dave Duncan- “is Welch OK”, “is he hurt?”it was a puzzle to all, what was wrong with him? That was Spring Training. That same 1990 season that same Bob Welch, whom I thought I could even get a hit during spring camp, won 27 games, the Cy Young and the MVP and pitched in the 1990 World Series against Cincinnati.

This is only Spring Training; the key word here is “Spring”. Samardzija and Cueto are the two biggest acquisitions by the Giants pitching staff. Some said that the Giants wanted Samardzija because pitching coach Dave Righetti has the “magic” to make him a great pitcher; for the record (Samardzija never won more than 11 games in one season). In 2015 with the Chicago White Sox he finished with an 11-13 record in 32 games he started with a 4.96, yes that was in the American League where you have to face nine professional hitters every game, because of the designated hitter.

We have completed the first half of this 2016 Spring Training. For the Giants to compete in their division they would need these two pitchers to perform like they can, this division is going to be won by one of these three teams: Dodgers, Giants or Diamondbacks; San Diego and Colorado are there to fight to stay out of the cellar.

Madison Bumgarner has been bothered by foot and rib cage injuries, not serious and he said he will definitely start the opener of the season for the Giants, but still the last couple of weeks have not been pretty for the Giants rotation members, specially for Samardzija and Cueto who combined cost the Giants over $200 million.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish voice for the Angels TV and the Spanish for the A’s radio and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Amaury is also a huge Frank Sinatra fan and sends his best regards to the Sinatra Family during this difficult time after the passing of Frank Sinatra Jr 72 who died on Wednesday of a heart attack