SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- A bout of left shoulder tightness has kept Tony Watson out of Cactus League action thus far, but the Giants’ veteran reliever is optimistic he remains on track to be ready for Opening Day.

“It’s nothing that I’m concerned about,” Watson said Monday. “I just need to be smart about it.”

Watson was scheduled to throw 20 to 25 pitches in his second bullpen session of the spring on Monday and could progress to facing hitters in live batting practice later this week if he continues to recover as expected.

Watson, 34, said he had been throwing bullpens before reporting to Spring Training last month, though his arm wasn’t bouncing back as well as he had hoped early in camp. He decided to take a break from throwing to try to rebuild strength in his shoulder and said he’s feeling better now.

Watson isn’t sure when he’ll be able to pitch in an exhibition game, but he feels he still has time to ramp up before the Giants play their season opener against the Dodgers on March 26. Watson is expected to be one of the Giants’ most experienced relievers this season and could be a candidate to take over the closing role vacated by fellow left-hander Will Smith, who signed a three-year, $40 million deal with the Braves this offseason.

“Right now, the calendar is working in our favor, but we can’t have any setbacks,” Watson said. “Everything’s got to balance out. I’m trying not to look too far ahead. I know the games are going by, so hopefully we just keep progressing and keep building one day at a time and keep coming out on the other side with good range of motion and good strength.”

Shark life
Right-hander Jeff Samardzija made his second outing of the spring on Monday and became the first Giants starter to complete three innings, allowing one run on three hits in an 8-1 victory over the D-backs at Salt River Fields. Samardzija, who topped out at 90 mph, walked one and struck out one while throwing 42 pitches.

Samardzija gave up a leadoff double to Tim Locastro in the first inning, but he induced a flyout from Ketel Marte and then benefited from a pair of nice defensive plays from the right side of the infield.

Second baseman Mauricio Dubón, who was shifted to shallow right field, fielded a sharply hit grounder off the bat of Eduardo Escobar and threw to first base in time for the second out. The next batter, David Peralta, hit another grounder into the shift, forcing Dubón to range to his left to field the ball before making a quick throw to first baseman Wilmer Flores, who was pulled off the base but still managed to keep his foot on the bag for the final out of the inning.

“As a pitcher, with all these shifts, you’re really putting a lot of trust and respect into your defense with leaving half the field open,” Samardzija said. “As long as you make those right pitches, when it works out, they hit balls hard at guys that are in the right spot. The play that Dubón made, and then Flo to catch the ball, too. That's not an easy play because guys are coming from different spots than they're used to. It's just good to see those guys out there playing hard. Dubi always brings it every day, and it’s fun to watch.”

The lone blemish for Samardzija came in the third, when Arizona catcher John Hicks drove a slider out to left field for a solo home run. It was the first earned run allowed by a Giants starter this spring, ending the unit’s Cactus League scoreless streak at 20 1/3 innings.

Worth noting
• Shortstop Abiatal Avelino suffered an injury scare after fouling a ball off his right leg in the fourth inning, though he is expected to be OK. Avelino stayed down for several minutes and appeared to be in pain, but he remained in the game after being evaluated by head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner.

“We were a little concerned when he went down, but once we went out there, we knew it was just something that he was going to have to deal with for that at-bat,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “He was able to stay in the game. No concerns.”

• Third baseman Zach Green, a candidate for a backup corner infield spot, collected his first home run of the spring by slugging a three-run shot off right-hander Edwin Jackson in the fourth. Dubón also had a nice day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double. He is now 7-for-14 (.500) over his first six Cactus League games.

• Relievers Luis Madero, Tyler Rogers, Jarlin García, Nick Vincent, Andrew Triggs and Matt Carasiti combined to throw six shutout innings behind Samardzija.

Up next
Logan Webb and Tyler Beede will continue their battle for the fifth spot in the Giants' rotation when they make their second Cactus League appearances on Tuesday against the Rangers at Scottsdale Stadium at 12:05 p.m. PT. Webb will start the game before giving way to Beede. Trevor Gott, Shaun Anderson and Wandy Peralta are also scheduled to pitch for San Francisco.