SF Giants Notebook: Alex Cobb suffers another setback in return to rotation

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants are awaiting a doctor’s visit to learn more about Alex Cobb.

The 36-year-old right-hander suffered another setback in his rehab this week. After throwing a bullpen session, he began to experience soreness and stiffness in his lat.

Cobb was scheduled to visit with a team doctor on Thursday, when the club returned to San Francisco after a 3-3 road trip against the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays.

The Giants aren’t sure if Cobb will have to be shut down again.

“He was going along so fast, it’s just maybe a little hurdle he’s going through right now with some soreness,” manager Bob Melvin said. “He doesn’t seem too concerned about it.”

Cobb looked to be ahead of schedule after offseason hip surgery, but suffered a flexor strain in early April and was temporarily shut down. After starting to throw again, he progressed from playing catch to throwing a bullpen session, but after the bullpen session he felt just OK, Melvin said.

Melvin called it a “little bit of a setback.”

Cobb had a career year last season, when he was named an All-Star for the first time while throwing 151-1/3 innings with 131 strikeouts, a 3.87 ERA and 1.32 WHIP.

The Giants were hoping he could rejoin the rotation early this season.

For now, they’re going with Logan Webb, Blake Snell, Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks and Keaton Winn.

The Giants’ rotation had a 23rd-ranked 4.56 ERA entering Thursday, but Melvin said, “the rotation is not the problem right now.”

“Obviously, we feel like once Blake gets going and once Alex gets back, it’s a really good looking rotation,” the manager said.

At a Snell’s pace

Snell will get back on the bump on Friday after tying a career-high while allowing seven earned runs his last time out against the Rays.

Snell allowed multiple home runs in a game for just the 16th time in 193 career starts.

“He expects more out of himself,” Melvin said Thursday. “He wasn’t happy with the last time out. And it’s rare you see him get hit like that. He’ll walk some guys and maybe give up some stolen bases but it’s rare to see him get hit. He was not happy with his last outing and we expect to see improvement.”

Chalk it up to rust, as the 31-year-old lefty got a late start and has yet to get into Cy Young form. Melvin said these last two starts were akin to a pitcher’s first two starts in spring training. The Giants opted to put Snell in the big league rotation without any spring training appearances.

Slow starts aren’t unusual for Snell. He had a 5.40 ERA through nine starts with the San Diego Padres last year, then went 13-3 with a 1.20 ERA and 186 strikeouts in 135 innings the rest of the way, earning his second career Cy Young award.

“Some guys are just slow starters, and he’s been that way basically his entire career and he won the Cy Young Award last year,” Melvin said. “At some point in time, once he gets a game or two under his belt you’re going to see what he has to offer. But it’s obviously harder now based on the fact that he didn’t pitch in any spring training at all.  But he’ll lock in at some point.”

Lee back on top

Jung Hoo Lee was moved back to the leadoff spot Thursday after spending two games at the No. 3 hitter.

Lee hit third against a pair of lefties in Miami, but returned to his spot atop the order against Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson.

Melvin said the move was less about Lee’s performance in the leadoff spot, where he’s posted a .311 on-base percentage and .644 OPS, and more about Melvin’s desire to get Austin Slater into the leadoff spot against lefties.

Slater is “a really good leadoff guy,” Melvin said. “Leading off is something he does really well. So it wasn’t as much about Lee as it was about Slater against lefties. And Lee has hit predominantly third in his career in the KBO, so he doesn’t care where he hits.”

Lee has collected a hit in his last nine games, but he continues to struggle to hit for power, with just three extra-base hits in 82 plate appearances.

Odds and ends

The Diamondbacks started Joc Pederson as their designated hitter while hitting him third on Thursday. Pederson, 31, signed a one-year, $12.5-million deal with Arizona after spending the last two seasons in San Francisco, where he hit .255 with an .821 OPS.

“He knows what he’s doing and he knows how to play the platoon role,” Melvin said.

The Giants entered Thursday having not won two games in a row since their opening series.

They kicked off a 10-game homestand, their longest of the season, which will also include series against the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Giants shortstop Nick Ahmed played parts of 10 seasons in Arizona, winning two Gold Glove awards in 2018 and 2019. He’s the longest tenured shortstop in Diamondbacks history (854 games). In San Francisco, he’s hitting .268 with a .656 OPS.