SF Giants lineup: Scutaro returns, Perez gets another start

Giants second baseman Marco Scutaro returns to the lineup after missing a week with “mallet finger”. Scoots was struck by a pitch in Pittsburgh, sustaining ligament damage in his pinky finger. The Giants elected to not put their second baseman under the knife and therefore on the disabled list, choosing to let the veteran play through the pain. Tony Abreu and Nick Noonan had been filling in, and will be reserves in tonight’s game against San Diego.

With Angel Pagan set to come off the DL in a few days, the Giants corresponding roster move will likely to be sending Nick Noonan to Triple-A. As a young player, he would benefit from reps that a starting gig can provide. Though hobbled by a leg injury, Abreu has outplayed Noonan and wouldn’t need to be fully healthy to succeed in a utility role. Besides, you tell Juan Perez his defense hasn’t justified a roster spot.

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SF Giants lineup: Posey sits against red-hot Padres

Buster Posey gets a full day of rest Monday after playing in all nine games of the Giants’ recent road trip. The reigning MVP caught eight of those games, spending Saturday’s game at first base. Posey collected 15 hits on the trip, raising his 2013 batting line to .316/.390/.515. His .905 OPS is tops among MLB catchers and seventh among all position players in the National League. Hector Sanchez gets his fifth start of the season behind the dish and his first since April 18th.

Sanchez caught Zito in 24 of his 32 starts last year, becoming somewhat of a personal catcher for the lefty. Bochy looks to exploit this comfort tonight at AT&T, where Zito has a 1.94 ERA on the season. He is 4-1 in home starts, to go along with an 0-4 road record and 11.28 ERA away from San Francisco.

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Angel Pagan injury update: Giants center fielder expects a rehab assignment

Giants center fielder Angel Pagan appears close to returning but expects to have a minor-league rehab assignment, according to Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area. Despite a cortisone shot, the hamstring has not healed and he has been unable to run the bases pain-free. Alex Pavlovic of the Merc reports that manager Bruce Bochy says Pagan will get 10-15 at-bats in the minors.

Speed is a large part of Pagan’s game, both on the basepaths and roaming center field. The 31-year-old has 130 career stolen bases and 43 triples, with 15 of those coming last season. The latter is a San Francisco Giants record and led all of Major League Baseball.

The Giants haven’t been entire helpless without Pagan, as Gregor Blanco has mirrored Pagan’s production sans a bit of power. Blanco has an OBP of .341 and plays all positions in the outfield well, but has just one home run in 251 plate appearances.

But Blanco (and Andres Torres, for that matter) haven’t been alone in stepping up. Recent call-up Juan Perez has played stellar defense in his first career cup of coffee, making a running catch into the fence that will certainly make the Giants end-of-the-year highlight reel. He has also flashed some acumen with the bat, notching five hits in his first 11 at-bats.