For Giants, blue skies and green hats

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — This was at spring training a few years ago. The Giants had lost seven games in succession, almost a quarter of their Cactus League schedule, and a sports columnist (blush) asked Bruce Bochy, then the manager, if the streak bothered him.

“Only when you ask me about it,” was his virtual shrug of a reply. To the guys in uniform and usually in the front office, the games are what they’re listed as, exhibitions.

The fans in the ballparks, few as they might be in these days of Covid-19 restrictions, treat the games as if they really matter, which is understandable when you’re paying $90 or more a ticket. After all, why attend if you don’t care who wins or loses? But the players and the manager approach it differently. The idea is to get in the work, to improve, perhaps to develop a new pitch. Sure, they’d like to win, which on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon at Salt River Fields — under blue skies and because of St. Patrick’s Day under green hats — is what the Giants did, beating the Colorado Rockies, 11-8.

That’s not an atypical score in the desert. Scottsdale’s elevation may be only 1,200 feet, compared to the Rockies’ Coors Field, 5,280 feet in Denver, where home runs are frequent.

Gausman, who signed a one-year, $18.9 million contract over the winter, threw 48 pitches in his starter-relief combo, allowing three runs — only one earned, and the Giants’ sloppy fielding does have manager Gabe Kapler concerned — unlike, we’re told, the hip that has benched Buster Posey or the spinal ailment affecting pitcher Chris Shaw.

There’s certainly a gap between the Giants and the World Series champion Dodgers, who are pounding balls hither and yon at their Camelback Ranch facility, near Glendale, but Kapler at least has implied his team will have strong pitching.

Just as a matter of history, you note how the baseball world, at least, has done a 180. It was the Giants with Mays, McCovey and Cepeda, who had the offensive numbers, and the Dodgers with Koufax and Drysdale who had the superb pitching.

While hardly Hall of Famers, the Giants’ pitchers now should — or is that could? — be decent, which is all you can hope for on a team that’s rebuilding.

After his divided routine Wednesday (didn’t we used to bring pitchers back in playground softball games?) Gausman was asked what he thought about possibly being called on to start Opening Day against the Mariners.

“Obviously, it would be a huge honor,” Gausman said. “Any of the first five games and being one of those top five guys. But yeah, it would be a lot of fun, for sure.”

Of starting and relieving in the same exhibition game, Gausman admitted, “Obviously, it’s not the traditional way, but I actually think it’s pretty awesome for the starting pitchers. The whole thing is to get used to the up-downs and get your three, four (innings}.”

Maybe the Giants didn’t get too excited about homers, but on Monday night Evan Longoria hit two, and Brandon Crawford hit one. The hints are that those two, veterans from another era, may not be part of the future.

An outfielder who may be, Austin Slater, had a double and an RBI. He’s part of the new Giants. That group is headed by Mike Yastrzemski, who not only arguably is the team’s best player but is credited by rookie Heliot Ramos with helping him learn. Ramos temporarily avoided getting sent to the minors.

Even the top kids need time. And work, which of course, as you know, is why spring training exists.