SF Giants rained out for second straight Cactus League game

PEORIA, Ariz. — A rainbow beyond the outfield wall quickly turned into dark clouds, then sheets of rain, and not much longer Friday evening the San Francisco Giants had their second consecutive Cactus League game canceled because of a strong desert storm.

Unlike Thursday evening, they didn’t even get a pitch in Friday night.

About 10 minutes before scheduled first pitch against the Padres, the teams optimistically took the field for the national anthem with a tarp over the infield as a backdrop. Twenty minutes later, with the warning track flooded, lighting flashes overhead and no end to the downpour in sight, the game was officially called.

Next up for the Giants is a matchup against a split-squad A’s team Saturday afternoon at Scottsdale Stadium. They will have Jordan Hicks on the hill, scheduled to make his third start of the spring.

Notable

— RHP Alex Cobb (hip) will face live hitters Monday for the first time since offseason hip surgery in a major milestone in his recovery, which Melvin said is ahead of schedule. If Cobb follows the typical six-week build-up for starting pitchers, he could be ready to be activated by the end of April.

— OF Austin Slater (elbow) was in the lineup at designated hitter for the first time since Feb. 24, the Giants’ first game of Cactus League play. Delayed by a “little bit of a setback,” according to Melvin, in his recovery from offseason elbow surgery, Slater is expected to play the outfield for the first time this weekend and is still on track for Opening Day. DH Jorge Soler will also make his debut in the outfield Saturday, Melvin said.

— RHP Ryan Walker “felt a little something in his elbow,” Melvin said, “so we shut him down for a couple days.” The cross-fire reliever hasn’t appeared in a game since the end of February, but “I think he’s good,” Melvin added. It wasn’t considered serious enough to undergo imaging.