GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- After 16 exhibition games, the Giants appear no closer to settling on a starting center fielder.

Veteran speedster Billy Hamilton went 0-for-3 in Monday’s 11-7 loss to Cleveland, dropping his batting average to .250. Steven Duggar played right field and singled in two at-bats, but he’s hitting .190. Mauricio Dubón, who’s primarily a middle infielder, received his first start in center against the Indians and played three uneventful innings.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler indicated that Hamilton’s six years of big league experience will work in his favor.

“With a guy like Billy, it’s much more about track record than it is anything else,” Kapler said. “Not that we don’t think these Spring Training at-bats are important. But we’ll lean heavily on what Billy’s done in his career and evaluate the work that he’s doing in camp. I think Billy’s six years of experience will show us much more than three weeks in Spring Training.”

• Right-hander Trevor Oaks joined the competition for the No. 5 starter’s spot by pitching three shutout innings. Oaks is attempting to rebound from right hip surgery, which he underwent on March 7, 2019.

“I’m mostly concerned with, is the ball moving, am I hitting my spots. It looked like everything was working for me today,” said Oaks, who surrendered two hits, walked none and struck out three.

Oaks employed a vivid comparison to explain how it feels to try to pitch when one’s hip is failing.

“The best way I can describe it is, it feels like you’re pitching out of a sandbox,” he said. “You think you’re going to throw the ball at the spot and the next thing you know it’s cutting halfway across the plate. That kind of creates a little bit of fear in your mind.”

• The Giants have treated projected closer Tony Watson gingerly. He hasn’t appeared in a Cactus League game but is expected to pitch batting practice in a couple of days.

Finding setup relievers will be a priority, especially with the implementation of the rule that mandates that relievers must face at least three batters. Left-hander Jerry Blevins, a respected veteran, could be running out of chances after yielding two runs and three hits while retiring just one batter. His ERA climbed to 22.09 in six appearances.

“Blevins is having a hard time executing his curveball right now,” Kapler said. “He’s getting behind in counts. If he were standing next to me, he’d tell you that he’s not making all his pitches. I’m sure that that’s difficult for him, being a veteran pitcher who’s used to being able to come into a game and throw a lot of strikes and induce quick and weaker contact. I know he’s frustrated right now.”

Up next

Johnny Cueto will continue his preparation for the regular season Tuesday when he starts against the Cubs in Scottsdale. It'll be the third start of the spring for Cueto, who yielded four runs on three hits in 2 2/3 innings in his last outing on March 4. An unruffled Cueto was happy just to elevate his pitch count and his stamina along with it. Left-hander Andrew Suárez and right-handers Sam Coonrod, Rico Garcia and Dany Jimenez are expected to follow Cueto to the mound, live on MLB.TV and Gameday Audio at 1:05 p.m. PT.