Giants' Jeff Samardzija: Enjoying life out west

Samardzija (6-2) struck out eight Padres over eight sharp innings Thursday, allowing just a single run on three hits without a walk in a 3-1 win.

Analysis:

He's really enjoying life back on the left coast, as the 31-year-old righty has pitched eight innings four times in his nine starts this year. He continues to turn last season's disaster with the White Sox into a distant memory, as Samardzija has re-found his lost slider and has gotten back to getting hitters to put the ball on the ground after a sharp increase in fly-ball rate last season brought a spike in homers with it. The strikeout rate remains disappointing for those fantasy owners who still remember the whiff-per-inning Samardzija, but that's just picking nits at this point.