MLB Team Report – San Francisco Giants – INSIDE PITCH
Tim Lincecum was forced to wait another day.
After throwing a stinker of a first inning in his last start and following it up with five much stronger innings, he was eager to return to the mound and try to end his first-inning blues, which have dogged him in his first three starts.
Because Sunday’s game was called off due to rain, the Giants will play the Mets in a doubleheader on Monday. Not one of those newfangled day-night doubleheaders but a traditional doubleheader in which less than a half-hour separates the games.
Madison Bumgarner will throw the nightcap.
“That’s just the way it goes,” Lincecum said. “You just try to stay focused and try not to get out of your plan and treat it as another day, trying to keep my mental edge where it is and not get out of a game-style mentality.”
The two-time Cy Young Award winner has a 10.54 ERA after surrendering 16 runs, the worst three-game stretch of his career.
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MLB Team Report – San Francisco Giants – NOTES, QUOTES
–INF Ryan Theriot was back with the team Sunday after missing several games with the flu. He’s expected to be available for Monday’s doubleheader. Manager Bruce Bochy said he’d use both Theriot and Emmanuell Burriss at second base in Freddy Sanchez’s absence. Theriot started the opener, but Burriss has been the main guy lately. Theriot is hitting .190.
–RHP Tim Lincecum’s start, pushed back to Monday because Sunday’s game was rained out, will force the Giants to use an emergency starter on Friday against the Padres in the homestand opener. It could be a collection of relievers because no one at Triple-A Fresno stands out.
–CF Angel Pagan flexes his muscle at Citi Field. Pagan has the second most homers in the park’s short history, going deep 16 times. Only David Wright has more with 23. Pagan hit No. 16 on Friday, his first as a Giant in his first game back to New York since he was acquired from the Mets in the trade that sent OF Andres Torres and RHP Ramon Ramirez to New York.
–C Buster Posey did RHP Dan Otero a couple of big favors in the eighth inning on Saturday. Otero threw just six pitches to get three outs, but much of the work was done by Posey, who picked off Ike Davis at first base and gunning down David Wright trying to steal third base.
–1B Aubrey Huff played second base in the ninth inning Saturday because the Giants ran out of infielders. Unfortunately for the Giants, when Justin Turner grounded to short with a runner at first, Huff broke to first, not second. By the time SS Emmanuel Burriss noticed Huff wasn’t covering second, he made a late throw to first. The Mets scored in the inning, winning 5-4. “My first instinct my whole life is when a ball is hit to my right, I move toward first. That’s what I did,” Huff said.
BY THE NUMBERS: 19 — Giants errors in the first 14 games, which ties the Orioles for most in the majors.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “It’s been up and down, particularly with the defense. We’re just making too many mistakes right now. We’re lucky to be where we’re at, not that we’re anywhere.” — Manager Bruce Bochy on the Giants’ overall play. They split their first 14 games.
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MLB Team Report – San Francisco Giants – ROSTER REPORT
MEDICAL WATCH:
–RHP Brian Wilson (sore right elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 13. He underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery April 19.
–2B Freddy Sanchez (right shoulder surgery in August 2011) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 26. He was still struggling with his throwing in mid-April, delaying the start of a rehab assignment with Class A San Jose until late April. Once Sanchez begins his rehab assignment, he’ll play minor league ball for two weeks before getting promoted to the majors.
–LHP Eric Surkamp (strained flexor tendon in left elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 26.
–LHP Dan Runzler (strained lat muscle) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 26.
ROTATION:
RHP Tim Lincecum
LHP Madison Bumgarner
RHP Matt Cain
LHP Barry Zito
RHP Ryan Vogelsong
BULLPEN:
RHP Santiago Casilla (closer)
RHP Sergio Romo
LHP Jeremy Affeldt
LHP Javier Lopez
RHP Guillermo Mota
RHP Clay Hensley
RHP Dan Otero
CATCHERS:
Buster Posey
Hector Sanchez
INFIELDERS:
1B Brandon Belt
2B Emmanuel Burriss
SS Brandon Crawford
3B Pablo Sandoval
INF Ryan Theriot
INF Brett Pill
OUTFIELDERS:
LF Aubrey Huff
CF Angel Pagan
RF Melky Cabrera
OF Gregor Blanco
OF Nate Schierholtz
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