SAN FRANCISCO — Count Matt Reynolds out of the group that thought he’d be pitching for the Giants. The freshly called-up left-hander spent the last two weeks in Triple-A Sacramento. The week before that he was in Double-A Richmond. And before he signed with the Giants on June 24? Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
“It’s kind of been an interesting journey,” Reynolds said at his locker on Friday afternoon. “…I certainly wasn’t expecting any of this.”
Reynolds had been playing for the independent Lancaster Barnstormers after the Diamondbacks cut him in the last week of spring training. It was a “fun opportunity,” as Reynolds put his independent league experience, one that catapulted him into a pennant race after posting a 1.11 ERA across 32 1/3 innings in Lancaster, Richmond and Sacramento. Manager Bruce Bochy has said he’ll use Reynolds in matchup situations for now, but Reynolds views himself as a lefty capable of throwing an inning.
He warmed up in the ninth inning last night but never entered as George Kontos worked out of a jam. Ideally, Reynolds would like his first game as a Giant to be less eventful than his first as a Barnstormer. He remembers getting ready to warm up in the bullpen before teammates stopped him. The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs do a mid-game fireworks show, so Reynolds had to wait 20 minutes while the seventh-inning entertainment played out.
“I was a little shocked and blown away,” Reynolds said. “But alright, here we are.”
Just a few lockers away was another Giant who hasn’t been around the team much. Hunter Pence officially finished his rehab assignment and will be activated prior to Saturday’s game. Bochy smiled when asked if he could be persuaded to insert Pence into the lineup. Doesn’t sound like a possibility.
Pence said his legs are feeling better each day, and praised several members of the Giants’ staff that helped push his rehab across the finish line. Now he’d like to inject some life into an otherwise dormant team.
“I play the game with a lot of energy and emotion,” Pence said. “I hope I can give them a little boost … I come in ready to help.”
Eduardo Nunez is also here to help, but not in Friday’s starting lineup. He’s expected to arrive before the game and start on Saturday at third base. Bochy and GM Bobby Evans have both assessed the move as one for flexibility more than anything else.
Not only do the Giants have a temporary fill-in at third base while Matt Duffy rehabs, but Bochy can allocate more rest for regulars like Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford. With the Dog Days looming and less off-days dotting the calendar, that’s when the Giants should reap the benefits of acquiring Nunez.
“It’s getting to the point where I’m going to have to give some guys a break,” Bochy said.
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-Cory Gearrin is on Triple-A Sacramento’s roster and will begin his rehab assignment.
-Duffy was with the Giants today doing more conditioning. Bochy thinks he’ll be good to start his rehab on Sunday.