By Morris Phillips

During six minor league seasons, the Giants’ Trevor Gott criss-crossed the U.S. similar to a well-known Johnny Cash song.

Gott left the University of Kentucky after three seasons when he was selected in the sixth round of 2013 Major League Baseball Draft. That started a nomadic existence in which he pitched for nine minor league teams, including three stints in Syracuse and two with Arkansas. Each of Gott’s assignments to Syracuse followed a demotion from the Washington Nationals, one of his three major league stops that began with the Angels in 2015, then onto D.C. and the Giants in 2019. Groomed as a closer initially, the 5’10” Gott settled into a role as a setup man before his first big league promotion by Los Angeles.

With an effective fastball, but no established secondary pitch, Gott never stuck in one place or with one organization. But the Giants kept him on the big league roster for the entire season in 2019, and he rewarded them with 57 strikeouts over 52 innings in 50 appearances and 7-0 record.

Gott figured to earn some, not a bunch, of high leverage assignments in Gabe Kapler’s unheralded bullpen this season, but twice over the weekend, Kapler bypassed Tony Watson, and brought in Gott, who surprised with back-to-back saves against the powerful Dodgers.

Will Smith led off the ninth with a home run off Gott on Saturday to bring the Dodgers within one run, but the 27-year old rebounded, retiring Max Muncy, Mookie Betts and Clay Bellinger in a row for his second, big league save.

“I thought our bullpen did a nice job of holding it together under some tough conditions. In particular, Gotter did a nice job,” Kapler said of the season’s first victory.

Gott came right back Sunday night and finished off the Dodgers again, this time in a 3-1 win, and as the final piece of 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief by the Giants’ pen. Six relievers had a piece in it, but only Gott retired Smith, Betts and Muncy consecutively after he allowed a leadoff double to A.J. Pollock.

The saves caught the attention of the fantasy baseball crowd, who were more than eager to add a pitcher racking up the saves who was on only 10 percent of fantasy rosters coming into the weekend.

For Gott, he’s just taking it in stride, given all the stops and starts in his career, and Kapler’s refusal to define roles at this early juncture of the season.

“I’m really, really happy I got the opportunity, but we’ve got a lot of good, young arms down there,” Gott said. “I think these past two games you all have seen that. That’s a good lineup over there, and I think the past two games we showed that we have arms that are going to be able to compete.”

Gott’s storyline is pretty defined: his fastball that’s electric and darts away from lefties is his only dependable pitch. His curveball has always been below major league standards so much so that he’s scrapped it at times for a changeup that wasn’t more than 8 mph slower than his mid-90’s heater. But this season, he’s been a problem by reinventing the curveball, and getting it across the plate at 80 to 83 mph, which is the desirable 10 mph slower than his fastball.

So far hitters can’t sit on his fastball when the curve is putting them behind in the count. Now the question is, can he keep it up?

NOTES: Jeff Samardzija has been named the starter for Tuesday’s home opener against the Padres, with Johnny Cueto to follow Wednesday.  This halts Kapler’s pattern of not unveiling his starting pitcher until just before game time after just four games. While the strategy likely kept the Dodgers off balance, it could also be disconcerting to the Giants’ staff, who are conditioned to preparing days in advance.