Tag Archives: Giants

SF Giants lineup: Sandoval returns, Pagan still out

Pablo Sandoval is in Bruce Bochy’s lineup tonight against Toronto after missing three games with a strain in his foot. The Panda missed the entire series in St. Louis, with Joaquin Arias and Nick Noonan holding down the duties at third base. The initial diagnosis had the Giants entertaining the possibility of keeping Sandoval out for an extra week, so it’s worth keeping an eye on how he moves around tonight.

While Panda’ return is a surprise, so is Angel Pagan’s continued absence from the lineup with a hamstring/knee injury. The Giants center fielder has been out for 10 days, with an MRI showing bursitis in his knee. It has been a frustrating waiting game, with words from Bochy that Pagan may have been available to pinch hit in certain games. A trip to the disabled list at this point seems useless, but keep in mind the Giants will remain a position player down on their bench.

Andres Torres has started in left field in every game since in Pagan’s absence, and has been productive across those eight games. The 35-year-old has posted a .310/.375/.379 in that span, but funnily enough has not scored any of the 12 times he has reached base.

Brandon Belt returns to the starting lineup with right-hander Josh Johnson on the mound. In what has become an obvious platoon, the young first baseman sat Sunday in favor of Brett Pill with lefty Tyler Lyons on the mound. Hat tip to Grant Brisbee from McCovey Chronicles, who pointed out that Belt has started just once against a lefty with Pill on the roster. He also noted that Belt notched the game winning hit on Sunday, a seventh-inning double, against left-handed Randy Choate. It may take some time, but the Giants should eventually notice that Belt hits lefties better than Pill despite the side of the plate from which they bat.

The first game action Giants fans will see at AT&T Park will be Tim Lincecum facing Melky Carbrera. The former Giants will bat leadoff in his return to AT&T Park, where he spent most of a season ravaging its alleys and inspiring fans to dress up like idiots. Or the other way around, I suppose. The Giants already saw Melky three weeks ago, with Bochy handing over the World Series ring he earned for being on the 2012 squad. Cabrera was 5-8 in the two-game set in Toronto, showing flashes of what made him great as a Giant. Overall though, he is hitting just .281/.325/.373 in 2013, nothing like his 2011 season in Kansas City or last year’s blistering performance.

Here’s the lineup for today against Johnson (0-1, 6.86 ERA):

CF Blanco

2B Scutaro

3B Sandoval

C Posey

RF Pence

1B Belt

LF Torres

SS Crawford

RHP Lincecum (3-5, 5.12 ERA)

 

SF Giants lineup: Bochy tweaks lineups for doubleheader vs. Cardinals

In St. Louis on Saturday, the Giants will be playing in their first doubleheader of the season, and they will do so with a bench that has been gutted by injuries. Pablo Sandoval is out and Angel Pagan is doubtful, leaving Bochy with just three reserves in each game. Whittle that number down to two because Quiroz and Posey will act as emergency catchers in games one and two respectively.

The plan is to pair Posey with Cain in the first game, then let Quiroz catch Bumgarner in the evening. Bochy emphasized that he wants Buster to catch Gaudin in his first start of the season on Sunday.

While Joaquin Arias was the scheduled to start at third in Friday’s rainout, Nick Noonan will get the call to replace Sandoval in Game One. Arias will play Game Two when Noonan slides to second to take over for Old Man Scoots. Noonan and Belt, the Bochy-dubbed “young bucks” will play both games, and presumably so will the entire outfield. Pagan will test out his injured hammy, but Alex Pavlovic of the Merc points out that damp field conditions should all but prevent the Giants leadoff hitter from playing.

For those asking, Noonan has played 37 minor league games at third base dating back to 2011. He has played the hot corner just once this season, manning the post for four innings after coming in on a double-switch.

The Cardinals, at 35-18, have the best record in baseball. Despite this, the Pirates and Reds trail by just two games in the NL Central. Outside of the AL East, there is no more competitive top three in baseball.

Here’s the lineup for game one vs. RHP Shelby Miller (5-3, 2.02 ERA)

CF Blanco

2B Scutaro

RF Pence

C Posey

1B Belt

LF Torres

SS Crawford

3B Noonan

RHP Cain (4-2, 5.00 ERA)

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.