Will Bednar’s first three outings this season were good. His fourth was great.

San Francisco’s No. 4 prospect struck out five over five hitless innings as Single-A San Jose rallied late for a 5-3 win over visiting Modesto.

“I started out really hot that first inning,” said Bednar, who struck out the first two batters he faced and retired the side in order. “My fastball and slider were playing really well early on, and then kind of in that middle few innings, my slider lost a little bit. I was kind of yanking it or front-dooring guys, not really on purpose, and then that last inning, I really dialed it back in.”

Bednar only faced three baserunners on two walks and one hit batsman but saw them all from the second through the fourth. By his final frame, the 2021 first-round pick felt back on track.

“It’s just making tweaks,” he said of rediscovering his slider’s peak effectiveness in the fifth. “Usually I’m yanking it or not getting through it, so it’s kind of making those quick tweaks along the way is what helps me out.”

Bednar retired the final four batters he faced in his longest outing of the year and dropped his 2022 ERA to 1.62 through 16 2/3 innings. Still, the Mississippi State product stressed an even-keeled approach to his strong first month.

“It’s a long season ahead, so I don’t try to get too high or get too low, but it’s definitely a good confidence booster moving forward,” he said. “It’s just another start, and I’ve got another one next week.”

As for next steps, Bednar has one in mind.

“I think still just working on a changeup, getting a good, consistent third pitch,” he said. “The changeup has kind of always been that pitch I’ve worked on. I feel like I’ve always kind of had fastball-slider, and getting a good third pitch has kind of been the goal.”

The Giants nabbed Bednar with the 14th overall pick last year after he led Mississippi State to its first national championship. Last year, San Francisco handled him cautiously, limiting the right-hander to seven innings across four appearances after he pitched 92 1/3 for the Bulldogs. Bednar is enjoying the transition to the professional game.

“It’s really cool to be kind of in a routine now,” he said. “It’s definitely a little bit different than college, but it’s exciting being on this routine and really experiencing baseball as a job instead of having to do baseball and school and everything like that.”

The Minor League schedule also provides Bednar an opportunity to develop on a weekly basis with its six-game series and regular off days, similar to a college workload for a starting pitcher.

“It’s not a huge adjustment,” he said. “It’s a little bit different because once very four, five weeks I’ll have two starts in a week instead of just one. I haven’t hit that yet, but it’s a little bit of an adjustment kind of changing how I use my days in-between starts and how much I throw. I feel like I’m adjusting pretty well. I’ve still got a little ways to go to kind of figure some stuff out, but it’s good.”

San Jose scored five runs on just two hits, both from San Francisco’s No. 25 prospect Grant McCray. Out of the leadoff spot, McCray belted a homer and added a single, driving in two.