Giants' Williams to oppose Padres
By Andrew Baggarly
Special to The Advertiser
SAN DIEGO — San Francisco right-hander Jerome Williams didn't shy away from a start in the playoffs last year and he isn't lacking for confidence going into today's crucial game against San Diego at Petco Park.
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"I know for a fact I won't crumble,'' said the Waipahu High graduate. "I'll be on my game.''
Jerome Williams says he will take the mound with confidence today despite not having pitched in the majors since July 30.
Williams will make his first major league start since July 30, when he injured his right elbow and had surgery to remove bone fragments. He has made a full recovery, pitched in two Instructional League games and should be at full strength to help the Giants as they continue their playoff push.
"It's probably the biggest game I've pitched, except for (the division series start) last year,'' Williams said. "It's crucial. I'm coming back after missing two months and I'm going to pitch one of the biggest games of my career.''
Williams threw eight solid innings against a team of A's minor leaguers in Scottsdale, Ariz., last week.
With the minor league seasons over, it was the best game experience the Giants could replicate.
They saw enough to believe Williams can handle the assignment today.
"If he is sharp and they are not hitting him, we will go a long time with him,'' Giants manager Felipe Alou said. "They'll have to knock him out.''
Trainer Stan Conte said the Giants are not taking a medical risk with Williams, who had several chips and loose fragments taken out of his elbow. One of the chips had become lodged in the joint, preventing Williams from straightening his arm.
"The type of surgery he had didn't require any healing of tissue,'' Conte said. "They didn't reattach anything. They just took debris out. He has pitched so many innings (in Arizona) that we're confident his elbow will hold up. The worst-case scenario is he irritates it.''
Conte added that Williams would benefit from pitching this season because it will give him more confidence entering spring training next year. But with the Giants still alive in the NL West and fighting with the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for the wild card, they have more pressing concerns.
"It's not a risky move,'' Alou said. "We know what we're doing. The kid has pitched enough to show us he's ready. We will keep a good eye on him. We have expert eyes here.''
Added Conte: "He didn't know how his elbow would respond in his first outing (in Arizona). He was much more confident and thus performed much better in his second outing. Now he should be confident to go out and pitch.''
If Williams pitches well, he would improve his chances of making the postseason roster if the Giants qualify. With Jason Schmidt, Noah Lowry, Brett Tomko and Kirk Rueter all pitching well, Williams probably would be used in relief if the Giants make the playoffs.
Williams has started once against the Padres this year and beat them on April 19, holding them to four hits and a run in 6 á innings. Overall, he is 9-7 with a 4.41 ERA this season, but said those 21 starts seem like a distant memory.
"It felt like I was out a whole season,'' he said. "Instructional league felt like spring training all over again. Now I'm back and I've just got to throw my game.''
Andrew Baggarly is a reporter for the Oakland Tribune.
