DENVER _The trip down Interstate 80 between Sacramento and San Francisco is typically reserved for rookies and prospects hoping to break into the major leagues and make an impact with the Giants.
This time, the car shuttling a pair of pitchers who most recently started for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats will have two passengers with a combined 22 seasons of major league experience.
Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija are officially on the road back to the Giants' rotation.
Manager Bruce Bochy announced that both veteran right-handers will return to the club this weekend, as Cueto will start Thursday and Samardzija will start Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Cueto (elbow sprain) made two rehab starts while Samardzija (shoulder tightness) needed four to prove he was healthy enough to rejoin the Giants' staff.
With two starters returning, Bochy said he spoke with left-hander Derek Holland who will move to the bullpen to provide additional coverage. Holland could be used in relief at Coors Field on Tuesday or Wednesday, but if the Giants don't need a long reliever, he'll be counted on to pitch behind Cueto Thursday.
"He's great, he wants to do whatever he can to help the club," Bochy said of Holland. "He understands the situation and he's ready for anything. He's got a great attitude about it."
Cueto is expected to be limited to a pitch count of 85 in his first start back from an elbow injury, while Samardzija shouldn't have his workload monitored as closely after he tossed 90 pitches in a six-inning start Monday for Triple-A Sacramento.
Rookie Dereck Rodriguez will remain in the rotation and start Friday while ace Madison Bumgarner will pitch the Giants' series finale against St. Louis Sunday.
Bochy did not announce who will start Monday, but right-hander Chris Stratton and lefty Andrew Suarez are both candidates. Stratton will face the Rockies on Tuesday while the rookie Suarez will start the final game of the road trip Wednesday.
The Giants could be inclined to move forward with the pitcher who performs best at Coors Field.
Cueto led all major league starters in ERA with a 0.84 mark when he was sidelined with an elbow injury that he feared would require Tommy John surgery to heal. Instead, after heading to the disabled list in May, he's now expected to make two starts before the All-Star break.
"He's set to go," Bochy said. "He's passed all the tests, checked every box off, been throwing the ball well and hasn't given up a run there. The bullpen went fine, he's been hitting and bunting and I just got off the phone with him about a half hour ago."
Samardzija began the season on the disabled list with a pectoral injury that bothered him during spring training, but returned to the staff three weeks into the season. The Giants No. 3 starter posted a 6.56 ERA in eight starts and left an outing against the Rockies May 29 after just one inning with shoulder tightness.
After a rough third rehab start in which he allowed five runs in the first inning for Triple-A Sacramento, the Giants wanted Samardzija to make an additional start before he rejoined the team. Samardzija lasted six innings and allowed two runs Monday, and he'll also make two starts before the All-Star break.
Because of the nature of their respective injuries, Cueto and Samardzija will be afforded extra rest whenever possible according to Bochy. A second half schedule that includes four off days in August and four more in September means both pitchers will likely be asked to pitch every sixth day instead of every fifth day.
Bochy said Holland is a candidate to make spot starts when the Giants need another arm.
The final decision San Francisco must make is whether to have Stratton or Suarez continue in a starting role. Both pitchers have minor league options, but Suarez was the more effective pitcher in June as he posted a 2.62 ERA compared to Stratton's 3.55 mark.
With Holland and fellow left-hander Ty Blach pitching out of the bullpen, two of the Giants' starters from their season-opening series against the Dodgers are now relievers.
The Giants do not plan to announce roster moves until Thursday and Saturday, but the club will need to clear a 40-man roster spot for Cueto as he's returning from the 60-day disabled list. Like Suarez and Stratton, Blach and rookie reliever Pierce Johnson have minor league options.
It could be difficult for Blach to hang onto a 25-man roster spot after this weekend because with Holland's addition to the bullpen, the Giants now have four left-handed relievers.
