SAN FRANCISCO — Two young pitchers who have taken advantage of teammates’ injury-related misfortunes hope to continue their impressive seasons Friday night when the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants continue a four-game series.
The Cardinals bombed the Giants’ Johnny Cueto in his return from the disabled list in Thursday’s series opener
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Cueto’s return sent Derek Holland to the bullpen, where he was used in a mop-up role after the Giants had fallen behind 9-0.
The Giants also are expecting another of their core starters, Jeff Samardzija, to be reinstated from the DL on Saturday, meaning another of the pitchers who helped keep the club afloat amid key injuries either will be moved to the bullpen, demoted to the minors or even perhaps released.
Rookie right-hander Dereck Rodriguez (3-1, 3.16), having gotten a vote of confidence when Holland was the first to lose his job, will pitch Friday with additional pressure on him.
Ivan Rodriguez’s son has handled everything major leaguers have thrown at him, allowing three of fewer runs in six of his seven starts.
Rodriguez has never faced the Cardinals. He is coming off his best outing of the season, shutting out the Arizona Diamondbacks on six hits over 6 1/3 innings in a 7-0 road victory last week.
Rodriguez will have to deal with a Cardinals lineup that’s been scorching at the plate while going 3-1 to open a nine-game trip.
St. Louis has totaled 27 runs on 48 hits in the four games
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Jedd Gyorko ruined Cueto’s return early Thursday night with a three-run homer in the first inning. He’s gone 6-for-15 with two doubles, two homers, seven RBIs and three runs scored in the four games.
Yadier Molina, who had three singles Thursday, homered twice during the Cardinals’ two-of-three success at Arizona.
The Cardinals also welcomed back Dexter Fowler from paternity leave Thursday night, but couldn’t find a spot for him in the starting outfield amid Tommy Pham, Marcell Ozuna and Harrison Bader, who combined for seven hits in the series opener.
Fowler entered the game late and struck out in his only at-bat.
Rodriguez will be opposed by Cardinals right-hander John Gant (2-3, 3.92), who has filled in admirably while St. Louis has been without Michael Wacha, Alex Reyes and Adam Wainwright.
Summoned from the bullpen to make his fourth start of the season
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But the 25-year-old couldn’t duplicate his success in his most recent outing, having allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings in a 6-5 loss to Atlanta last week.
Gant has faced the Giants twice in his career, both times in relief, going 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA.
Andrew McCutchen (2-for-3 with a double) and Brandon Belt (RBI double in only at-bat) have had success in their limited duels with Gant.
Theo Epstein says Yu Darvish is feeling better and he is optimistic the Japanese right-hander will make a ”solid contribution” this season.
But the Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations stopped short of providing a schedule for the injured starter’s return.
Darvish signed a $126 million, six-year deal with the Cubs in February. He is 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA in eight starts and didn’t earn his first win until May 20 in Cincinnati. He went on the disabled list on May 26 with tendinitis in his right triceps.
Darvish suffered pain during a June 28 bullpen session in Los Angeles, which prevented him from throwing naturally. The 31-year-old traveled to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area the following day to get an opinion from Dr. Keith Meister, an orthopedic surgeon who is one of the Texas Rangers’ team physicians.
Darvish got a new diagnosis – right elbow impingement and inflammation – as well as a cortisone shot. The Cubs said it would take several days for the injection to ”settle in.”
”I think it’s been a good couple of days for him, but he’s still in that strengthening mode,” Epstein said Friday before the Cubs hosted the Cincinnati Reds. ”We’re not going to set any timetables yet until he moves from the strengthening phase to the throwing phase.
”A lot of it depends on how he continues to feel and how the throwing goes,” Epstein added. ”We won’t rush him.”
Meanwhile
http://www.cardinalscheapstore.com/zach-allen-jersey-cheap , slugger Kris Bryant, out since with June 22 with left shoulder imflammation, batted on Friday and ”had a really good day in the cage,” Epstein said.
Bryant was eligible to return from the disabled list on Tuesday. The 2016 National League MVP could return to the Cubs any day or go on a brief rehab assignment.
Bryant is batting .280 with nine homers and 36 RBIs in 66 games this season.
”We’re going to get together to see whether he wants or needs a rehab assignment just to test it in a game situation before he comes back,” Epstein said.
Bryant had been experiencing pain on his swing follow-through.
”The shoulder is an important joint to the swing, especially with the swing and finish he has,” Epstein said. ”I don’t know we expected it to be this long . he needs to execute his swing and feel good.”
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