Blake Snell expected to debut for Giants next week

LOS ANGELES -- Blake Snell is expected to make his debut for San Francisco on April 8 against the Washington Nationals, Giants manager Bob Melvin said Monday.

A two-time Cy Young Award winner, Snell agreed to a $62 million, two-year contract with the Giants on March 18. He has been throwing at extended spring training in Scottsdale, Arizona, to build up his arm.

The left-hander will throw a simulated game Wednesday in Los Angeles, where the Giants were playing a two-game series against the Dodgers starting Monday night. Melvin said he expects Snell to throw around 70 pitches.

"It just doesn't feel like we're there yet for him. So I think he's gonna feel a lot better (after Wednesday)," Melvin said. "You know it's been pretty easy for him. The first couple games he had a lot of strikeouts with guys who are just sitting on a fastball. So we can get some guys in there that will probably challenge him a little bit more. And then, we'll be ready to go after that."

Snell was 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA last year for the San Diego Padres, winning the NL Cy Young to go with his 2018 AL Cy Young with the Tampa Bay Rays.