Series Thead: Giants (51-44) @ Rockies (52-43)

Ryan Sadowski is not your typical rookie. He knows the Giants don’t expect him to pitch like a rookie.

“But at any level,” said Sadowski, “there are going to be growing pains and learning curves.”

Quite literally. You can read a little bit about Sadowski in the Giants notebook, which focuses more on Joe Martinez’s ability to help the team over the final two months. But I wasn’t able to delve into Sadowski’s thoughts about his curveball, and he had some interesting things to share.

As you’ve probably heard or read by now, Sadowski said he hasn’t had his good curveball in any of his four major league starts. That includes the first two, when he didn’t give up a run to the Brewers and Astros.

So yes, the learning curve is quite literal for Sadowski. Mostly, he’s still adjusting to throwing a major league ball, which has flatter seams.

“It’s staying through while using the using the little seams you have,” Sadowski said. “For me, it worked to my advantage early. It helps you sink it a little bit more. At the same time, it hurts your breaking ball.”

He said Brandon Medders had some helpful advice about gripping the curve. The key, Medders said, is to find the right equilibrium of moisture/dryness so the ball snaps out of your fingers. That can be especially tough in Coors Field on a low-humidity day, when the balls are extra slick.

Sadowski will take the ball in an important game Sunday at Coors. With a victory, the Giants would take a road series against their chief wild card rival. They’d also finish a fairly dismal road trip with a not-so-dismal 4-6 record.

Pitching at mile-high altitude won’t be a new experience for Sadowski. He pitched at Triple-A Colorado Springs last year and faced several of the Rockies’ current hitters there. He also remembered facing Troy Tulowitzki and Chris Iannetta in the Single-A California League in 2005.

“Your ball does funny things,” he said. “It can be tough on you, but it can be just as tough on the hitter. Your cutter might sink or your sinker might cut. I think it’s probably harder on the catcher than anybody.”

Even though it doesn’t help his grip, Sadowski also tried to improve his curveball by looking at video of his spinning off some good ones at Fresno.

“Just another thing our crazy baseball minds will do,” he said. “It just helps you visualize it. It doesn’t really help in any other way.”