SAN FRANCISCO -- Randy Johnson believes he will pitch again this season for San Francisco, albeit as a reliever.

The 45-year-old Big Unit is on the 60-day disabled list and has been sidelined since July 6 with a strained left shoulder. He acknowledged pitching more than five innings and being effective would be tough at this stage.

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"Starting is out for me now, because I've been out for two months," Johnson said Sunday. "When this happened, I was really discouraged. I'm late in my career, not early. It's not something I envisioned. ... It would be nice to come back in some capacity and help the team. Right now I'm just trying to get healthy."