SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants are a step closer to having another rotation option.
Jake Peavy (back and hip tightness) threw a bullpen session on Saturday and was pleased with how his body felt. He will throw another one Tuesday, and if all goes well, could soon start a rehab assignment. Peavy said he just threw fastballs at about 70-80 percent effort on Saturday.
"The biggest thing was just seeing how my body felt, and it was quite a bit better," he said. "I think we're headed in the right direction. I'm excited about it. It is feeling a lot better; we're still working through a little bit (of discomfort) but that's to be expected."
Peavy is working to get his hips in line and make sure his lower back area doesn't lock up on him during starts. To that end, the Giants will adjust his game-day routine. The problem for Peavy has been that he goes out and pitches and then tightens up between innings, but he said he'll now be doing additional stretches when he's waiting for the next inning and he'll be getting treatment from the trainers, too. Think of it like a basketball player who rides a bike when he's not on the floor.
The next bullpen session for Peavy is the important one. He said they'll likely stagger his pitches so he throws for a bit and then sits down to see how his body responds when he has to get up and down.
--- Travis Ishikawa (back tightness) played three innings in an extended spring training game yesterday and will play five innings today. His back is feeling much better. Ishikawa still has about 15 days left on his rehab assignment so when he gets transferred back to Sacramento the Giants won't have to make a decision for a couple weeks.
--- Hunter Pence didn't swing a bat today, but he took fly balls and did some other work in the outfield. Bochy said Pence will hit on the field tomorrow and the next four or five days, and then the Giants will see where they're at.
--- The latest on Matt Cain: Another week to 10 days of playing catch, followed by two or three bullpen sessions, and then a couple live BP sessions. You can add it up, and if everything goes perfectly, you're still looking at at least three weeks before we're discussing a rehab assignment.
--- Important beard update: Ryan Vogelsong shaved his Brian Wilson beard.
