CSN Bay Area

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Adam Duvall spent a portion of his morning taking fly balls in right field, and he said he actually played a game in the outfield over the winter. Down the line, that might be a way for Duvall to increase his value to the big league club, but for now he’s focused on mastering third base, and he took a step forward Monday. 

Duvall had a slick day over at the hot corner, the highlight being a diving stop of Juan Uribe’s smash down the line. To follow in Uribe’s footsteps as a Giants third baseman, Duvall will need to show more of the same. His bat has never been an issue — hit hit .298 with 27 homers in Triple-A last season — but the Giants need to see improvement with the glove. 

“With him, it’s just getting that confidence and sense of belonging,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s got a great arm and good hands. I know Ron Wotus is working hard with him at third and we’ll do the same at first. When you have a bat like this, it’s intriguing.”

There’s a bit more playing time to go around at third base right now. Joaquin Arias has a sore arm and hasn’t played much in the field, but Bochy said he should be back on the dirt sometime this week. It’s just one of those minor issues you see in camp. Gregor Blanco has his own after taking a ball off the inside of his left knee during Monday’s 5-5 tie with the Dodgers. Blanco said the ball caught him in a good spot, and he’s fine. 

Some other news and notes from the day neither side of the rivalry took bragging rights … 

ICYMI: We woke up to Pablo Sandoval saying some interesting things about the Giants. Personally, I wasn’t surprised by what he said about the contract negotiations, but I was a little surprised that he made it so clear that he only misses two guys in that room. Pablo had his detractors, but I can think of a few guys down there who are going to be upset when they read the quote about the clubhouse. 

As for the game, Matt Cain looked good and felt good. All is good. And Ryan Vogelsong talks about the switch to the bullpen.

NOTEWORTHY: Hunter Pence came to the park in the morning to work out but he’ll be gone a couple days because he’s flying back to San Francisco. Bochy said Pence is not going for any additional tests on his left forearm … Dodgers prospect Corey Seager smoked a shot into the gap for a standup double off Santiago Casilla and scored easily on a single to left. That kid looks like he’s going to be a monster for years to come … Hunter Strickland threw a scoreless top of the ninth. 

LOOKING AHEAD: If you’ve been closely checking spring box scores … I mean, what are you doing? They don't matter. But … if you have been closely checking the box scores for some reason, you would see that the Giants aren’t exactly clicking at the plate, on the mound or in the field. Bochy has noticed the sloppy play, and he said he’ll pull back a bit during workouts. The batting cage will be locked Tuesday morning and players were told to sleep in. 

QUOTABLE: “I was excited for him today. He handled it like I thought he was going to handle it. He threw the ball great.” — Vogelsong on Cain’s return from injury.