SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Curt Casali hadn’t caught Rule 5 Draft pick Dedniel Núñez prior to Friday night’s game against the Padres at the Peoria Sports Complex, so he felt he should shoulder a bit of the blame for how Núñez’s outing began.

Núñez drew the heart of the Padres’ stacked lineup when he took the mound in the third inning and opened his relief appearance by yielding a single to Fernando Tatis Jr. and an RBI double to Manny Machado on upper-90s fastballs. But the 24-year-old right-hander managed to settle in after mixing in more of his slider, retiring Eric Hosmer on a flyout and striking out Tommy Pham and Wil Myers on six pitches to end the inning.

“I'll take a little bit of blame for not calling his slider early enough,” Casali said afterward. “His slider is absolutely ridiculous. It's a wipeout pitch. One of the best I've seen. I’m really excited for him.”

The outing was a learning experience for Núñez, who quickly realized that he won’t be able to rely strictly on velocity to get hitters out at the big league level.

“I wasn’t nervous. I was anxious because I wanted to strike them out,” Núñez said of Tatis and Machado. “I gave up those two hits because I was using my fastball instead of my slider. I started using [my slider] against the other hitters, but by that point the damage was done.”

Still, manager Gabe Kapler said he was impressed by the way Núñez was able to recover against the Padres.

“It was really impressive,” Kapler said. “He’s just kind of a fearless competitor out there. We think he has a chance to be special in large part because of that slider and his ability to attack the strike zone. He's got a lot of work to do, and he's got to remain consistent throughout camp. Continue to bring this strike-throwing mentality, but he has a real chance to be good for us.”

Núñez hasn’t pitched above the Class A Advanced level due to the cancellation of the Minor League season last year, but Kapler said the Giants have more confidence in his ability to stick in the Majors than they did with right-hander Dany Jiménez, who was taken in the Rule 5 Draft in December 2019. Jiménez earned a spot on the Giants’ Opening Day roster last year, but he struggled with his command and ended up being returned to the Blue Jays after making only two relief appearances for the Giants.

Núñez’s status as a Rule 5 Draft pick could help give him an inside track for a spot in the Giants’ bullpen, as he’ll have to be offered back to the Mets if he isn’t kept on the 26-man roster for the entire 2021 season. The Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, native continued to bolster his case by working a 1-2-3 inning in his third appearance of the spring against the D-backs on Monday at Scottsdale Stadium.

Núñez said he wasn’t expecting to be taken in the Rule 5 Draft, as he had spoken with his agent beforehand and was told that few players end up being selected. Still, he’s grateful that the Giants were willing to take a shot on him and give him an opportunity to show that he can pitch in the big leagues.

“I’ve felt really good,” Núñez said in Spanish. “They’ve given me enough support to win a spot, and I’m going to continue working to ensure that I can stay up for the entire year.”