Author Archives: Thomas Todd

Pablo Sandoval injury: Giants third basemen out until Monday, maybe longer

The Giants fan base let out a collective sigh of relief when their team nabbed the last game of a four game set against the A’s. A sweep to their cross-Bay rivals would have sucked the air from AT&T Park. But they’ll need take another big breath and hope their starting third basemen and No. 3 hitter doesn’t have to hit the disabled list.

Sandoval wasn’t in manager Bruce Bochy’s lineup for tonight’s potential game against St. Louis, the first of a three-game weekend series. It was reported that the big fella was icing his foot, but the nature of the injury was not disclosed at that time – it is best to hire injury attorneys practicing in Washington from here. But later an MRI revealed a strain in the foot, and the Giants declared the star merchandise-seller out for the Cardinals series and maybe longer. It is better that you can try this out to find out more about the government aid that is available to help you in this crisis situation. On suspect-ion of wrongful death you can also speak to a wrongful death attorneys as they can help you legally. Also, it is essential to know that BAC Tests and Breathalyzers are necessary for DUI cases.

Luck hasn’t been the right word for the Panda this month, as he suffered an illness referred to only as “the crud”. He didn’t miss any actions, but certainly wasn’t at his best for the better part of a week. Despite the crud Sandoval has been pretty good at the plate, notching a team-leading 37 RBI to go along with a .288/.328/.434 batting line.

Fans, more than media, question Pablo’s weight, using that as a diagnosis for the minor injuries he seems to suffer. But his weight didn’t cause the hamate bone injuries that cost him portions of the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The Yakima attorney for dog bite claims that whether or not this injury was caused by excess weight, the former All-Star does look to be heavier than he has in his tenure as a Giant. He remains unconcerned, telling Yahoo’s Jeff Passan in Spring Training that he won’t worry about his weight for two more season. Party on, Wayne.

In his absence, Joaquin Arias should get most of the playing time. Arias has filled in for Sandoval before,  clearing 300 plate appearances last season during long stretches when Sandoval was out. He hit .270 with limited power, but the Giants will take from an injury replacement. Arias is solid around the bag at third, as Giants fans remember when he made the last out of Matt Cain’s perfect game last June.

The Giants’ bench is thin with Angel Pagan out, leaving Brett Pill, Nick Noonan and Guillermo Quiroz as the only reserves.

SF Giants lineup: Panda gets a day, Pence hits third

Update: Sandoval was seen icing his foot. No diagnosis has been given, but at least we know how fast the internet can make you seem like a jackass. 

Pablo Sandoval is out of the lineup for the Giants, and the beat writers are speculating that an illness dubbed “the crud” may have returned. Not being a T-cell in the Panda’s Round Mound, I can’t speculate. But consider that Sandoval started 26 games in the month of May and appeared in a 27th on a double-switch. He played several of these games with the aforementioned “crud”, a testament to Panda’s love of the game  and dedication to winning. He needs a day.

With Brandon Belt playing in his 53rd game of the season, he ties Sandoval for third on the team in appearances. Once again a testament to Sandoval, but also a relief to the Belt supporters. Every extra-base hit or hit-saving dive to his right makes Belt-haters a historical oddity like the eugenics movement or Betamax. Only Pence and Crawford have seen more action that the Giants’ starting corner infielders.

Arias start in favor of Sandoval, just his eighth start of the season. Thanks to multiple injuries to the Panda in 2012, Arias racked up 344 plate appearances. The utility infielder is on pace for just 138 this season. Compounding the playing time issue is that Arias has also struggled at the plate, hitting .220/.267/.220. He hit a surprising .270/.304/.389 last season in his first big-league action since getting a cup of coffee with the Mets in 2010.

In Sandoval’s absence, Hunter Pence will hit third. The bug-eyed beauty has been other-worldly lately, going 11 for his last 24. For May as a whole, Pence has hit .330/.383/.594 with five home runs. His play is the reason the Giants lead the National League in offense.

Here’s the lineup for today vs. RHP Shelby Miller (5-2, 2.02 ERA):

CF Blanco

2B Scutaro

RF Pence

C Posey

1B Belt

LF Torres

SS Crawford

3B Arias

RHP Cain (4-2, 5.00 ERA)

Angel Pagan injury, plus SF Giants lineup shakeup

Angel Pagan will miss today’s series finale against the A’s and tomorrow’s game in St. Louis after getting a cortisone shot, according to Amy G of CSN Bay Area. The center fielder has been out since Sunday with a sore hamstring, with Gregor Blanco shifting to center and Andres Torres filling in at left field.

If the lineup looks different today, I expect it is due to the three straight losses suffered to the Oakland A’s. Bochy’s comments after last night’s debacle made it seem like wholesale changes were in order. Crawford is batting second, a spot that had been occupied by Marco Scutaro in almost every game this season. Scutaro has been replaced by Nick Noonan, but that has been attributed to an illness rather than poor play. Scutaro allowed the A’s to score a run with an error in Wednesday’s game.

Bochy is all but certain that Chad Gaudin will get the start on Sunday in St. Louis. After the injury to Ryan Vogelsong, the Giants skipped his spot in the rotation followed by a spot start from rookie left-hander Mike Kickham. But with Kickham’s underwhelming debut and no other viable options, the Giants will stretch out their long man for Sunday. Gaudin last pitched Tuesday, where he threw 54 pitches and gave up one run across three innings. Bochy set that up perfectly, pat on the back for the old manager.

After Sunday, the Giants can skip that spot in the rotation twice, not needing anyone until June 15th thanks to some well-placed days off.

Here’s the lineup against RHP A.J. Griffin (5-3, 3.84 ERA):

CF Blanco

SS Crawford

3B Sandoval

C Posey

RF Pence

1B Belt

LF Torres

2B Noonan

LHP Zito (3-3, 4.13 ERA)