Drew Pomeranz in comfort zone on Giants with old pitching coach

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GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- When he got back to the clubhouse Friday night after four shutout innings, Giants starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz pulled out his phone and opened the MLB app. 

"Derek was already through two innings in like five minutes," he said. 

That would be Derek Holland, who followed Pomeranz on the mound against the Indians and was just as sharp. The Giants are hoping Pomeranz can follow Holland during the season, though. 

Holland had a 6.20 ERA with the White Sox in 2017, but came to San Francisco, found a comfort zone and put up a 3.57 while leading the staff in innings. Pomeranz had a 6.08 ERA last season with the Red Sox but is looking for a similar renaissance, which would be a huge boost for the Giants and would get the 30-year-old lefty back into a free agent market that was massively disappointing this past offseason. 

Holland credits a lot of people for helping him turn it around, but he always makes sure to mention pitching coach Curt Young. Asked if he could follow Holland's 2018 path, Pomeranz immediately brought up Young, his pitching coach in Oakland earlier in his career.

Pomeranz went through a rough time with the Rockies, but had a 3.08 ERA in two seasons in Oakland. 

"I had all these people all over me and you show up (in Oakland) and Curt just lets you do your thing," Pomeranz said. "When you're a young kid, you've got 10 different people telling you 10 different things all the time. Curt is a very calming person and he's so chill. He just lets you get back to doing the things that make you good."

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On Friday, Pomeranz was really good. He gave up just one hit in four quick innings, striking out four. Pomeranz had a good fastball early and said his cutter is as sharp as it's ever been. 

Oh, and it worked out pretty well to have Holland follow Pomeranz, too. He threw four shutout innings of his own, striking out three. 

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