GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Brandon Belt drew a tough assignment in his long-awaited spring debut on Saturday afternoon, facing off against longtime nemesis Clayton Kershaw in the Giants’ 10-2 win over the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch.

Belt, who is 4-for-62 (.065) in 67 regular-season plate appearances against Kershaw, continued his struggles against the three-time Cy Young Award winner, striking out twice in his first two Cactus League at-bats. But the results mattered less than the fact that the 33-year-old first baseman was finally back on the field after being hampered by right knee inflammation for most of camp.

“I’m not sure it would have mattered who you threw out there, to be honest with you,” Belt said. “But it’s no easier when you’ve got to face a guy like that. I didn’t feel great today, but that’s part of it.”

Belt logged four innings at first base and saw a total of seven pitches in his three trips to the plate, one of which was interrupted when Austin Slater was caught stealing at third base for the final out of the third inning. Belt went down on three pitches in his two official at-bats and said he felt like he was “playing underwater” as he began the process of getting his body back into game shape with less than a week to go until Opening Day.

“I think it feels good to get back into games,” Belt said. “The most important thing was just getting out there and getting my body used to playing the field. It didn’t go the way I wanted it to, and I didn’t feel perfect today, but it was a good first step to getting where I want to go. I am happy about getting back on the field.”

Belt said he reported to camp with swelling in his right knee, which may have stemmed from weight lifting during the offseason. He’s dealt with right knee issues in the past, but he said he underwent multiple MRI exams that showed no structural damage this spring.

“The knee feels great,” Belt said. “The knee feels really good. I don’t anticipate having any problems with it. I worked my legs out hard to try to avoid anything, so I think the knee is going to be good.”

The Giants slow-played Belt to avoid any setbacks, but he continued to participate in baseball workouts and took plenty of at-bats during live batting practice at Scottsdale Stadium. Still, Belt admitted that it’s difficult to simulate game-like conditions on the backfields. He’s hoping to play in the Giants’ final two exhibition games against the A’s next week, but he feels confident that he’ll be ready to go for the club’s 2022 season opener against the Marlins on Friday.

Belt appeared in only four Cactus League games last year, when he was slowed by bouts of COVID-19 and mononucleosis, all while recovering from offseason heel surgery. Despite that, he still ended up delivering a career season for the Giants, batting .274 with a .975 OPS and a team-high 29 home runs over 97 games.

“You always wish you could have a few more games to get ready for the season, but sometimes that’s not how it works out,” Belt said. “I did the same thing last year and I wound up being fine. It’s just a matter of getting back into the routine of playing again.”

Webb gets final tuneup
Opening Day starter Logan Webb made his final tuneup of the spring at the Giants’ Minor League facility at Papago Park on Saturday, giving up one run on three hits over 4 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old right-hander struck out seven and walked three while throwing 77 pitches.

While Webb was the easy choice to get his first career Opening Day assignment, it’s still unclear who he’ll be throwing to on Friday, as manager Gabe Kapler said he’s undecided on whether to start rookie Joey Bart or veteran Curt Casali behind the plate.

Bart bolstered his case by going 3-for-3 with a pair of singles off Kershaw and a three-run shot to the opposite field off Garrett Cleavinger in the seventh. Bart is now batting .412 (7-for-17) with three homers and seven RBIs over seven Cactus League games.

Quick hits

• Mike Yastrzemski returned to the lineup on Saturday after missing three games with right quad tightness. He played five innings in right field and went 0-for-2 with a walk.

• Austin Dean and Brett Auerbach each homered off new Dodgers closer Craig Kimbrel, who was charged with four runs on four hits over one-third of an inning in his first outing for Los Angeles.