DENVER -- The Giants and Jeff Samardzija confronted an inconvenient truth Tuesday night: He can't throw hard.
That explained the right-hander's dismissal from the Giants' 11-4 loss to the Rockies after just one inning and his move to the 10-day disabled list Wednesday. The official diagnosis was shoulder stiffness -- which, Samardzija admitted, has bothered him most of the season, including Spring Training.
"It's been pretty consistent here this whole time," said Samardzija, who surrendered two runs on three hits. "... You want it to feel great, but this was one of those days when it didn't respond."
The Giants recalled right-hander Tyler Beede from Triple-A Sacramento to take Samardzija's roster spot. Samardzija, who's 1-4 with a 6.56 ERA in eight starts, will earn $19.8 million this season and in each of the next two years.
"The velo [velocity] hasn't been there," said Samardzija, who started the season on the DL with a right pectoral strain and was activated April 20.
The Giants have one ray of hope for their beleaguered pitching staff: Left-hander Madison Bumgarner, whose fractured pitching hand has healed, could return to the rotation as soon as next Tuesday against Arizona at AT&T Park.
Samardzija, 33, has insisted his arm has steadily felt stronger as the season progressed, despite his subpar results. But this game erased all doubts. His fastball hovered in the 91-92 mph range, compared with his top form of 96-97 mph.
"I always feel I'm OK to pitch," Samardzija said. "Sometimes other people have to step in and tell you differently."

Television viewers were treated to the sight of Samardzija breaking a bat over his knee in the Giants' dugout after being removed from the game.
"It was just more so frustration as a whole," Samardzija said, articulating his emotions. "It wasn't necessarily just today."